Eagles and Lions Both Have Claws
by PixieSpriteify
Summary: Sansa Stark is just beginning her fourth year as a Gryffindor student. She doesn't expect much of the year, but little does she know things will change dramatically, for better or worse. Or both. May turn into a series if received well. Please review and comment, tell me what you think. Note: Trigger warning for attempted suicide in chapter 7
1. Chapter 1

Sansa Stark sat in the welcome silence of the library. She often came here in the evenings. She tended to avoid the common room at this time, it was pretty busy and with everyone chattering away to each other, she found it hard to concentrate. She loved reading, and frequented the library on a daily basis. Madame Pince, notorious for her dislike of the students, had a soft spot for the young Stark, offering a simple "Hello" as she passed her. Sometimes Sansa helped her with organising the books. Sansa sighed as she looked out of the window next to which she sat. Looking down to the courtyard, she smiled when she saw Jon, her brother, walking arm in arm with a red-headed Slytherin, both of them laughing heartily. Sansa was happy for him, glad somebody could put that look of joy on his face. But she couldn't help but feel a little wistful. Her own relationship had fireballed and blown up in her face the year previously as Joffrey – she shivered at his name – a Hufflepuff boy in her year had proven himself to be a little git. She had broken it off after he had slapped her in the face. Ned, her other brother, had nearly been expelled for the curse he placed on Joffrey. Sansa also knew that her sister, Arya, had done something sneaky to him, and it had left him in the hospital wing for a month. She was a lot warmer towards her sometimes irritating sister after that. Sansa realised how much of a brat she had been, and now, as she entered her fourth year, she was a lot wiser and mature after her experiences both in and out of school. Her father, an Auror, had been murdered by a rogue wizard; she didn't like to think about it. After that, the family had pulled together and leaned on each other. Ned had left and was now following in their father's footsteps, much to their mother's dislike. But she worked for the Ministry, so she worked closely with him, to keep an eye on him.

A noise behind her made her jump, accidentally bending the page as her hand clenched instinctively. Sansa was surprised that someone other than Madame Pince, who was on the second floor of the library, was in here. Another noise, a thud sounded, followed by a few mild curses. Sansa hopped off of the window ledge, leaving her book where she had previously been sitting and following the source of the sound, which was quickly followed by more thuds. Curiously, Sansa poked her head around the corner of one of the stacks to see a girl, head tilted to the ceiling, eyes closed and cursing to herself. A pile of books lay at her feet, lying at strange angles, like they had fallen off.

"Need a hand?" asked Sansa, knowing Pince would throw a fit if she saw this. The girl snapped her clear blue eyes widening in surprise. She was wearing a gold and scarlet striped tie.

"Oh, no, no, I'm okay, thank you," she said, blushing slightly as she bent and began gathering the books. Sansa smiled and knelt down beside her, helping her anyway.

"Madame Pince probably heard that, we should hurry," Sansa said, piling the books up and beginning to place then quickly on the shelf.

"Probably," said the girl on the ground, who began handing books up to Sansa. "I was just looking through these for a project, but I slipped and knocked them off." Sansa smiled down at her, brushing a lock of ginger hair from her face. The girl looked familiar, and Sansa was sure she couldn't forget that strikingly bright blonde, nearly silvery white hair. Putting together the familiarity and the tie, she remembered she shared Transfiguration class with the girl.

"You're… Sansa, aren't you?" asked the girl, who was also looking at Sansa quizzically. "Sansa Stark."

"Yes," replied Sansa.

"I'm sorry about your father…" the girl said quietly. Sansa's eyes widened a little, but nodded.

"It's fine."

"I know what you're going through, if it helps," the girl shrugged, handing her a book.

"Oh, you're… you're Daenerys Targaryen!" gasped Sansa. Daenerys nodded. The Targaryens were an old, old family, full of magical secrets, one of which being the ancient Dragons. Looking at the book in her hand, Sansa realised Daenerys was researching her family heritage. Sansa had heard about Daenerys' past, it was more than intriguing. The girl had travelled everywhere, she had been a student for a short while in a foreign school, and it was rumoured that she had restored her family's fortune, and secured more dragons. As the last remaining Targaryen, she was being educated while her loyal protectors looked after her estate.

"Dragons?" smiled Sansa. Daenerys nodded. "So the rumours are true?" she asked with a grin.

"Yes, don't tell anyone, though," smiled Daenerys in reply. Suddenly, there was the sound of a door closing.

"Pince!" hissed Sansa. There was still a mess of books on the floor as the two girls began hurling them back on the shelf. She was getting closer, they could hear the clacks of her boots as she walked. Sansa was really hoping to get out of this, she really didn't need a detention or worse, to be banned from the library. Suddenly, a new set of footsteps drew closer, from the opposite directions. A figure appeared at the end of the stack and looked down the aisle. Sansa stood frozen for a moment. It was a Ravenclaw, Sansa had seen her in a few classes she had. Long, curly brown hair. A book held in one hand, her bag in the other. Holding herself with a graceful ease. She looked neither surprised nor concerned, just a little curious. However, she too seemed to hear Madame Pince's footsteps. Sansa wasn't entirely sure, but the girl seemed to smile as she continued walking. Daenerys and Sansa continued to freeze, listening as the girl met the approaching footsteps only a short distance away. If Pince walked the next few metres and looked down the aisle, she'd see the mess. The two Gryffindors stared at each other, arms full of books, Sansa's arms aching with the weight as they awaited their fate.

"Madame Pince? I'm so forgetful, could you maybe show me where the books on Divination are?" the girl asked in a delightfully sweet and airy voice.

"In a second, dear," said Madame Pince, sounding rather surprised, as if the girl had just popped up out of nowhere in front of her. "I have to check-"

"No, please, I really need to finish this essay," the girl insisted. "Just this and I'll be out of your hair. Besides, I think I heard something falling from the other side of the library, didn't you?"

"Well, I heard _something_-"

"Well, you should probably check…" said the girl in the same insufferably sweet and innocent voice.

"Alright dear, come with me," said Pince. Daenerys and Sansa breathed a sigh of relief as they shoved the rest of the books onto the shelf.

"That was lucky," said Daenerys, picking up the last book from the wooden floor, the cover black with a large, red dragon emblazoned on the front. "We should probably get out of here before she notices we've mucked up the order."

"Good idea," replied Sansa, darting out of the aisle to the window and gathering her bag and book. Turning, she saw Daenerys waiting for her.

"Thank you," said Daenerys, as they checked the coast was clear and hurried out of the library. As they reached the door, they heard Pince and the girl talking. Daenerys slipped through the door, but Sansa stayed for a moment, halfway out of said door, looking back at the stacks. Pince was hidden from her view, but across the circular table, she could see the girl pointing to a book on the shelf, facing away from her. But then she turned, just for a moment, and shot Sansa a knowing smile. Sansa was transfixed for a moment, but then caught herself and gave her a small nod of acknowledgment, of thanks, before disappearing, closing the door quietly.

"Well, that was close," commented Daenerys, straightening her tie and slipping the book into her bag.

"It was," agreed Sansa. They looked at each other for a moment, Sansa realised she was a little taller than the other girl. They met each other's gaze and then burst out laughing.

"Great to meet you, Sansa," said the white-haired girl, holding out her hand as they walked up the stairs.

"Likewise, Daenerys," replied Sansa, shaking her hand.

"Dany, please, Daenerys is such a mouthful," said Daenerys with a smile.

"Lovely to meet you, Dany."


	2. Chapter 2

Ah, hey guys, little embarrassing, I seemed to have gotten Ned and Robb mixed up, so it should be Robb who went to become an Auror, that's what I get for typing at night when I'm tired as hell, and also not watching Game of Thrones for ages, so I'm a little rusty. I do apologise for that, and all other mistakes are mine. So sorry, again. This is really just a thing I'm trying out, I'm thinking up a plot for it though, so the writing should get better and more exact once it all cements itself in my head.

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Sansa and Dany walked together down the stairs to the Grand Hall. They both had Transfiguration first, and they had had a pretty good night just talking to each other. Sansa couldn't work out why she had never tried to be friends with her before. They had shared a dorm for the past three years! Dany was intelligent, liked books too, and had this strange inner strength that made her hold her head high, despite the rumours that surrounded her about her past, and especially about her brother. Sansa ignored them; she knew what it was like to be whispered about. They became firm friends in only one evening. They laughed as they stepped through the doors of the large hall. It felt a lot less difficult when she had someone to talk to, other than her family. She loved them all, and went to sit with them and introduced them. Arya, only in her second year but already incredibly perceptive, tough and strong, stronger than Sansa ever thought she herself could be by the time she was an adult, immediately asked Dany about her dragons. Dany, though she looked a little surprised, she told Arya she had three. Arya made Dany promise to show her, in secret of course, if she didn't say anything, as owning dragons without a license was illegal.

"How did you get them, anyway?" asked Sansa quietly as Arya argued with Jon across the table. Dany looked at her questioningly as she ate another mouthful of food. "The dragons?"

"Oh… I was travelling with a tribe… my… my brother wanted to marry me off so that he could restore the family riches. Only, things… got out of hand, and… well, he died. And I ended up here. It's a long and very depressing story, you don't really want to hear it," said Dany, her gaze lingering in her food. Sansa knew that she shouldn't push her, so she let it go. Taking a drink of her orange juice, she cast her eyes over the other tables. Over the top of Arya's head, she could see the Ravenclaw table, and behind it, the Hufflepuffs. She quickly looked away when she saw Joffrey enter and sit down. His face looked like thunder.

"What possessed you to ever go out with him?" asked Dany, grinning.

"I have no idea. He just seemed so…" Sansa searched for the correct words. "I think I just sort of projected what I wanted him to be like, so I couldn't see his flaws. Now I'm not so blind," she said, Dany noticing the hint of steel in her voice at the last sentence. Raising her eyebrows, the blonde decided to change subject.

"So, anyone you've got your eye on now?"

"What?" replied Sansa, laughing at the absurdity of the thought. "No, there's nobody…" Sansa tailed off as she stopped shooting daggers at Joffrey with her eyes as she looked at the girl sitting behind him at the Ravenclaw table. Pale face, blue eyes that were complimented by her tie, and her white shirt covered by a black cardigan. Her long, brown curls tumbled elegantly down her back as she sat eating her breakfast. Sansa found herself intrigued as she noticed small sparks coming out of the girl's wand as she muttered something under her breath. She was surrounded by her friends, all of them laughing and talking away, but she seemed… different to the rest. Dany noticed Sansa was mesmerised by something and followed her gaze. With a knowing smile, she turned back to Sansa.

"Margeary Tyrell, you aim high," she smirked. Sansa's face turned the colour of her hair as she averted her gaze, laughing nervously as she played with the remaining food on her plate. She glanced at her brother and sister, who were still arguing.

"Behave, Dany!" she said, composing herself enough to shove Dany playfully. "I just wanted to see what she was doing, she's casting a spell. _And _I want to thank her for helping us out yesterday, that's all. Not everything is as sordid as you want it to be," she grinned. Dany looked mock offended, but let it drop. However, Dany had a feeling she was right when she saw Sansa continue to watch Margeary in her attempts to cast the spell, and noticed Sansa's fist clenched when another Ravenclaw girl sat beside Margeary and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Come on, Stark, we have a class to be in," said Dany, downing the rest of her juice. Sansa had been silent for the past two minutes, so Dany had made conversation with Jon and Arya, careful to keep them occupied so they wouldn't see their sister staring.

"It's time already?" asked Sansa, as she gathered her stuff.

"Yes, you've been… preoccupied… basically all the way through breakfast," grinned Dany, looking at Sansa with an eyebrow raised.

"Stop it, I was just curious," she replied with a light slap on Dany's shoulder.

"I bet you were- OW!" Dany glared as Sansa swept by, having just pinched Dany's arm. Hard.

They filed into class and sat down, Sansa sitting with Dany near the back. It was nice to have someone who actually wanted to sit next to you for once, Sansa decided. The class was nearly full, only one seat left. McGonagall, who had been sitting on her desk in the form of a tabby cat, cast her eyes around the classroom once, before leaping forwards and transforming into her human self again.

"Who are we missing?" she asked curtly, pointing to the empty seat on the far side of the classroom.

"Me, Professor," came a light voice from the door. Sansa turned to see the girl – Margeary, wasn't it? – standing in the doorway. "Margeary Tyrell, Professor," she said, politely. She seemed a little out of breath, but still managed to hold herself gracefully as she swung the door shut behind her and stood, waiting for her verdict. McGonagall peered at her for a few moments, as if considering her, before waving a hand.

"Miss Tyrell, this better not become a habit," she warned as Margeary walked calmly through the room and sat at the remaining seat, taking out her books.

"No, Professor," she replied in a neutral tone.

"Good. Now, we can begin, take out your books."

The class passed slowly for Sansa. She wasn't really that interested in Transfiguration. To be honest, she was more of a Potions geek. Dany excelled at this class though, but Charms was her ultimate best. After only being back for a week after summer, they hadn't really done much of the exciting stuff yet. They had to learn the theories first, which is what they were doing today. McGonagall watched them like a hawk as they scribbled notes for the essay they had to finish by Friday's class to be handed in. The whole class bar Sansa had groaned. Sansa didn't mind, she enjoyed the work, except for the fact that people would probably go to the library more to get books for said essay. Dany didn't seem too daunted by it either. Sansa put down her quill. She had finished her notes fifteen minutes early for the end of class. She had doodled for a while, but had nothing much to do, other than start the essay, but she didn't want to start it, then lose her train of thought and have to pick it up again later. So, with nothing more pressing to do, she looked around the classroom. McGonagall gave her a look, but then seemed to remember who she was, and let it go, returning to her marking. Sansa always handed in work on time and it was always good quality. Looking around, expecting to see everyone else's head down and scribbling away, she found herself drawn to the only other figure in the room who wasn't writing. Margeary Tyrell. And Sansa was just as surprised to see Margeary looking right back at her, a small, indefinite smile on her face. Sansa's eyes widened slightly in surprise, but softened again as Margeary looked away. She was sitting, head in hand and twirling her quill in her fingers. She turned a few minutes later and caught Sansa looking again, but instead of looking away, she smiled, then winked. Sansa smiled in reply, but looked down shyly at her work as she tried to contain her blush.

The bell rang and the class let out a collected sigh as they packed up their things. Dany was being approached by another Gryffindor as she packed her things away, so Sansa decided now was a good time to thank Margeary. She swept her things off of her desk and shoved them in her bag, before approaching the girl's desk.

"Hey," she greeted. Margeary looked up.

"Hi," Margeary replied. Sansa could swear that the brunette had just swept her eyes over her figure, but she wasn't entirely sure. She let it go. For now. "Can I help you?" she asked pleasantly, pushing a book into her bag.

"I just wanted to say thanks for distracting Madame Pince for us yesterday," Sansa explained. For some reason, she couldn't stop the wide smile from erupting on her face. Margeary laughed, a light, airy sound that was pleasant to the ears.

"It's fine, really. I've seen you in the library a lot, she would have banned you both had she seen that," Margeary said, swinging her bag over her shoulder. She gestured for Sansa to move first towards the door. Sansa began walking and Margeary followed her, until they reached the door, where Dany was waiting.

"Thanks again," smiled Sansa, with a small wave, as she and Dany made their way to their next class of the day.

"What was that about?" asked Dany, turning subtly to see Margeary staring after them, looking as if she were trying to solve some indecipherable puzzle.

"Nothing," replied Sansa cagily.

"If you say so," smirked Dany.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for reading, I really hope you like it so far. These few chapters have just been setting the scene the next oens should have some actual plot to them. It's rather long, so please bear with it, and once again, all the mistakes are mine, I'm trying to do my research and remember everything, and just really playing with the characters a little. Enjoy :)

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The next class of the day was Potions. Sansa, though she loved the subject, could not stand the teacher, Professor Snape. He made life difficult, but he could not argue with the results that Sansa produced, so he opted to leave her alone most of the time. He knew it was impossible to embarrass her by asking her to demonstrate knowledge of the subject, as she'd rattle it off perfectly. His only defence to that was complaining that she had recited word for word from a textbook. But he never took points off of her. They were split up so four of them were at a bench. Dany and Sansa, therefore, were working with a pair of Slytherins, one, a girl called Shae, and the other, a boy called Gendry. Though all four were initially wary of each other, the old house rivalry wasn't nearly as bad as it was made out to be. After an awkward fifteen minutes where they wrote out their methods in silence, once they had started on making their potion, a new and rather dangerous one known as the 'Exploding Potion'. It must have been Snape's little joke, as he set them to research the method instead of giving it to them, so it was more likely they would brew it improperly, and make it more volatile.

"He must be in a bad mood," whispered Dany as Snape stalked out of the classroom for the third time in five minutes. His face was drawn, taut, like he was holding something back, some deep rage. Sansa thought he looked as he always did.

"He is," said Shae quietly. Dany and Sansa looked up. Shae herself looked a little taken aback that she would talk, but then shrugged it off. "Somebody stole from his private storeroom this morning."

"It's true," confirmed Gendry, measuring out a flask of a dark brown, foul smelling liquid. "Didn't leave a trace, I heard. They got through his barriers and everything."

"Impressive," replied Sansa, chopping up her roots. They were working two to a cauldron, so Dany was gingerly pouring a red liquid inside, hoping to high heaven that it wouldn't explode. When it only made a small sizzling sound, Dany sighed and drew back, fiddling with the flame to make it hotter.

"What did they steal?" asked Dany, looking from Shae to Gendry.

"I don't know, but I heard it was valuable," replied Gendry conspiratorially.

"Something powerful," added Shae.

"That doesn't sound good," said Dany, looking to Sansa, who agreed with a nod. Just then, Snape stormed back inside, the door slamming shut so hard that a boy across the classroom jumped as he poured the red liquid into the potion, indicating he was at the halfway stage. Unfortunately, he poured in too much, and a deep boom swept through the classroom, everyone freezing as the boy fell to his knees, whimpering, clutching his face. He was covered in soot, and what remained of his potion leaked out over his things. The first victim of the class. They still had forty-five minutes left.

"Go," ordered Snape from his desk as he sat, not even looking up at the boy as he fled from the room, hands still covering his blackened face. His partner ran out after him. Before the door shut, they heard a peal of hearty laughter followed by a curse in reply. After that, everyone was a lot more careful.

"Just a little bit, Dany."

"Okay, Sansa."

"Seriously, Dany, a _tiny_-"

"I've got this!" laughed Dany nervously. She was not comforted by Sansa backing away slowly as she hovered with the final ingredient in her hand, poised to drop it into the bubbling mixture.

"Are you sure?" asked Shae, who was pouring over her notes, double checking everything that Gendry was doing.

"Look, it says –"

There was another concussive thump as another cauldron exploded. Cauldron number four. Two girls ran from the room, not even waiting for Snape to say anything, fleeing with their bags. Snape, reading a paper, lazily took out his wand and flicked it. The mess disappeared instantly. Snape didn't even bother looking as he retracted his wand and continued reading.

"Right," said Dany, determined not to be shaken by this. She held a hand over her face as she dropped the last ingredient into the mix. The four of them waited with baited breath. The thing sunk into the thick, bright blue potion, disappearing from view.

"It says in the book it should turn black…" said Sansa, but even as she said it, the potion grew darker, indigo swirling with sky-blue, slowly taking over until the whole thing was black.

"We did it!" breathed Dany, looking at Sansa, who smiled back. She was glad to keep her record of never failing a potion yet.

"Let's have a look, shall we?" Snape drawled from behind them. Both girls jumped at Snape's silent approach. He peered over the cauldron as Sansa looked around. Half the class was gone, dealing with burns or shock. The rest were tentatively throwing ingredients in, with a hope and a prayer. "Well, Miss Stark, Miss Targaryen, it seems, you've succeeded. Put a flask of it on my desk and you may leave," he said indifferently as he swept back to his desk. Dany reached for the flask.

"Wait a minute, isn't it supposed to explode if it touches _anything_-" started Sansa, reaching out to stop Dany, but it was too late. Once the metal touched the potion, the cauldron exploded, splattering the pair of them with viscous, hot dark liquid. Sansa hissed in pain as her entire right side was drenched. A part of the cauldron had flown out and hit her arm, the hot metal searing her. Dany, on the other hand, just stood there looking a little shocked.

"Go," drawled Snape without looking up, but Sansa, glaring at him, could almost swear that he was smirking, or at least dying to. Thankfully, the group had been sensible enough to move their stuff out of the danger zone.

"Sir, you –" started Sansa, but was cut off as Dany reached forwards and squeezed her sore arm purposefully, making her shut up.

"Is there something you wish to say, Miss Stark?" he asked, looking up, his dark eyes like pits of emptiness boring into her.

"We'll just be going, sir," said Dany, tugging Sansa away. "What the hell are you thinking?" she demanded as they closed the door and made their way to the infirmary.

"That was completely unfair-!"

"It's Snape, that's a given!" hissed Dany in reply. While Sansa was nursing her arm and side, Dany didn't seem too bothered. Their clothes; black skirt and tights, white shirt and Gryffindor ties – they had shed their robes in the heat of the classroom, were needing replaced before their next class, but they had break, so it wouldn't take long. Unfortunately, they had History of Magic next, and neither of them were in a hurry to be there.

They arrived at the infirmary a few minutes later, where they saw the remainder of their class nursing their injuries. Madame Pomfrey wove between beds where the worst were lying, the less serious were sitting nearby, complaining about Snape's utter disregard for student safety.

"… He'll kill someone one day, and I won't be able to bring them back…" she grumbled as she guided Sansa to an empty bed and sat her upon it, Dany sitting beside her. "You aren't too bad, dear, just clean yourself off and we'll get that sorted. I'm sorry, but I have to deal with one of your classmates, he suffered major burns and a concussion from when his cauldron hit him…" She bustled off, shoving a damp, cool cloth into their hands. Dany began to wash the slime away easily, but Sansa hissed every time it touched her skin.

"You must have an insanely high tolerance for pain," she muttered as she gingerly washed her arm and grimaced.

"Something like that," replied Dany quietly. Sansa looked up to see she had finished. "You want me to do it?" Sansa nodded and passed the cloth to Dany, who began to gently clean the black gunk off of her arm. "So, Potions expert, why doesn't it explode now?" she asked, indicating to the black mass.

"This is the bi-product of the potion. It's actually supposed to be really good for your skin-"

"If it hasn't burnt it off yet," muttered Dany. "Sorry!" she apologised a moment later as she pressed a little too hard on the burn. Soon though, Madame Pomfrey returned and looked over the pair. She approached Dany first.

"Please, check her first, I'm fine, I only got a little bit," she insisted. Madame Pomfrey – and Sansa – looked at the girl to see her shirt drenched, but there was no sign of burns, so the nurse obliged. After about five minutes, Sansa was feeling a lot better, her wounds numbed and healed. Madame Pomfrey now turned to Dany, who again said she didn't need any treatment. Pomfrey reached for her arm and looked at it closely. There was no mark where the burn should be.

"What was your name?"

"Daenerys Targaryen," she replied. Sansa noted the pride in the way she stated her name.

"So it's true. Fire can't burn a dragon," smiled Pomfrey, patting Dany's arm softly.

"I tend not to make a big deal of it…" she said quietly. Pomfrey nodded and left.

"You can't be burned?" asked Sansa in awe. Dany nodded.

"Walked through a fire once. Just… don't tell anyone." Dany looked at the floor, shifting her feet a little as she wrapped her arms protectively around herself.

"Of course I won't," replied Sansa. Dany looked up at her, expecting to be judged. But nothing about Sansa's expression indicated that she thought Dany was a freak, or a god, or anything other than a friend.

They decided to leave early for break, running back to the classroom to pick up their stuff. Snape, thankfully wasn't there, and they dived in gathering up their notes. Shae and Gendry were among the last people there, and were unwilling to touch the potion with anything.

"I've got it!" said Shae, slapping Gendry on the shoulder. "Levitate some of it out! Maybe there's a way to keep it permanently levitated inside the bottle, so it won't touch the sides!"

"That'll take forever to find! Look, we made the potion, we know it'll work, why not just explode it so we can get out of here- wow, look at you two!" commented Gendry when he saw the pair of them. Though their skin was clean, their uniforms were still coated.

"We're going to get changed," said Dany, holding her bag carefully away from her body to prevent it from touching her.

"Why not launch it at Snape and run away?" said a Gryffindor boy from across the room. They all shared a laugh at that, before Shae began searching for a possible spell to keep it from exploding in the flask. The pair wished them luck before backing out of the door and walking through the quiet corridor, their footsteps echoing off of the high walls and ceiling.

"This will never come out," sighed Sansa, examining her blouse.

"We could try the Scourgify charm," suggested Dany.

"Will it work?"

"Should do, if we cast it right. Oh, God, _people_," hissed Dany as a group of sixth years emerged from the corridor up ahead, walking towards them. The pair looked around frantically, before ever so casually turning and hurrying back the way they came before sliding into the girls bathroom in the next corridor.

"That was lucky," sighed Dany as she approached the sinks, dumping her bag on the ground. "I don't want to be seen with this gunk on my clothes… and in my hair," she lamented, trying to pull bits of it from her silvery locks.

"Do you think we can get back before break?" asked Sansa. The corridors would be jam packed, and there'd be no escape.

"Unless you know a shortcut that lets us scale seven floors in under three minutes, then yes," replied Dany, checking her watch.

"I don't. Okay, do the spell," said Sansa.

"Really? I've only done it a few times. It sometimes ends badly," she said, tapping her chin with her wand thoughtfully.

"How badly?"

"You don't want to know."

"You're not helping," said Sansa. "Look, either you do it, or teach me how to do it."

"That'll take ages. Okay fine, I'll do it to myself first. At least I can't catch on fire," she added quietly. Sansa's attention shot to her friend. This had bad implications. Dany closed her eyes, then focused on her shirt, pointing her wand at herself.

"Scourgify!" she said, moving her wand in an S shape over her shirt. The dark mass began to vanish from the white material. After two more casts, her uniform – and hair – were completely clean.

"Okay, now me," said Sansa. Dany took aim and repeated, feeling emboldened by her success.

"Is that all of it?" asked Dany.

"I think so, thanks," replied Sansa. They gathered up their stuff, and, after checking once more in the mirror, Sansa pulled open the bathroom door. She was surprised, however, by the figure she had just nearly bumped into, arm outstretched to reach the door handle. The pair froze for a second, but then came back to reality.

"I'm so sorry," apologised Sansa with a nervous laugh.

"Its fine," came the soft reply, in the voice that Sansa found she wanted to hear more often. Margeary Tyrell was standing in front of her, barely a few inches separating them. She made to walk past, but Sansa was sure she felt Margeary's hand brush hers by her side, only for a second. Sansa froze at the 'touch', if there even was a touch. She wasn't entirely sure, she was trying to work out why her stomach was squirming a little, butterflies fluttering at the sight of the girl.

"Sansa?" asked Dany. Her voice sounded very far away.

"History of Magic next, right?" asked Sansa, trying to act like she'd been thinking about her timetable, and not the beautiful Ravenclaw she could see looking at her using the reflection from the mirrors as Sansa turned to talk to Dany. She wasn't sure, but did Margeary wink again?


	4. Chapter 4

So, I've got an actual plan now, so should be clearer from now on :) I apologise for any mistakes, I'm writing this at half 3 in the morning because it simply won't leave my head and I notice they're getting steadily longer. I won't make them too long. Please review, if you feel like it, and thanks for reading this far, I'll try not to disappoint :)

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History. Of. Magic. Sansa could feel herself falling asleep. They were stuck in this stuffy, boiling classroom, the autumn sun pouring in through the large windows – none of which were open, as their teacher was a ghost and would not shut up for anyone – and even Sansa, who could usually keep her focus for the whole period was struggling. Dany, with her new 'ability' as Sansa would now call it, wasn't suffering as badly as the rest of them, but her concentration was shot. She sat next to Sansa and doodled away on her parchment. Sansa was so tempted to put her head on the desk and sleep, but she told herself to stay awake. They were back with the Ravenclaws, and Sansa was aware that Margeary was sitting a few seats behind her. While Professor Binns droned on and on and on about goblin wars, Sansa reached up and undid her top button, loosening her tie, hoping to ease her suffering a little. She was tempted to turn around, but told herself not to. That would be too far. Over the line. Plus it was really obvious. She didn't know what it was, she had barely even talked to Margeary. She just felt this strange connection. She shook off the thought and changed her position again, for about the thirtieth time in the last ten minutes. Checking her watch, she discovered that she had twenty minutes left. She would prefer to be doing an essay, _anything_ other than listening to the professor talking in his monotonous voice. Suddenly, she felt something in her palm. Paper. Folded paper. She casually closed her fist around whatever it was, hoping that it wasn't someone playing a prank with a make-shift Howler – it hadn't happened to her, but she'd been in the class next door when some kid got the life scared out of him when his friend's voice bellowed a load of unprintable words and phrases until the note had been set on fire. The boy who handed his friend the note had detention for weeks. Anyway, she took the chance that it was safe, and opened up the immaculately folded paper.

'_Hello, Sansa, isn't it_?' it read. Sansa resisted the temptation to turn around. Sansa glanced to Dany, who was still doodling away, her eyes looking distant as she drew a rather impressive dragon breathing fire on some bald man while an army of faceless men looked on. Sansa returned her attention to the note, safe in the knowledge that nobody was paying enough attention to notice her.

'_Yes, and you are_?" she wrote underneath. She paused, comparing the two sets of handwriting. Where the mystery person's writing was slanted but not overly flamboyant or loopy, Sansa's scrawl was more jagged and upright. She wondered how to get it back to the writer, but she put this from her mind, instead folding it up again and holding it loosely in her hand. After a few seconds, she felt the paper leave her fingers. _A levitation charm_, guessed Sansa. _Clever_.

She waited for a minute, her hand hanging from her chair, before she felt the paper brush her hand again. Looking at it on her desk again, she quietly unfolded it and read.

'_Margeary Tyrell_.' Sansa grinned. She had suspected – hoped – that it was her. The note continued.

'_I don't know about you, but I'm bored out of my mind at the moment.' _Sansa hurriedly wrote her reply.

'_So am I_.'

After half a minute:

'_How are you on this fine, sweltering day?_'

'_Absolutely roasting. Yourself?_'

'_Likewise. I really just want out of this class and into the sunshine.'_

'_Same here, I'm practically asleep. Poor man probably bored himself to death.'_

A few seconds after she had released the paper, she heard a quiet snort of amusement, which was quickly deadened. Sansa smiled, proud she was able to make her laugh. Unfortunately, this caused Dany to snap out of whatever daze she had been in, and was now looking at Sansa curiously. Sansa returned a fitfully innocent look, which seemed to assuage her friend, who was now admiring her drawing. She was a very good artist, thought Sansa, leaning closer to look at it. Dany turned and saw Sansa looking. Out of the corner of her eye though, she saw Margeary Tyrell looking at the pair of them, a piece of paper quickly being pushed down into her bag before anyone could see.

When the bell finally rang, Sansa stretched, arching her back slightly as she stretched her hands up to the ceiling. What she didn't expect was to feel a piece of paper shoot right into her outstretched palms, nearly dropping it in surprise. Dany noticed her sudden tension and looked up, but Sansa shook it off, claiming to have a pain in her neck. The red-head packed up her things and used the opportunity to glance around the classroom, but Margeary was already gone.

"Why did we have to get double History of Magic on a Monday?" groaned Dany as they left.

"At least we don't have it for a whole week," replied Sansa.

"But then it'll be Monday again, and we'll have to sit through that. Again," said Dany, but she seemed a lot happier. They went for lunch, finding a section of table to themselves and tucking in ravenously. Sansa remembered the note she had tucked away in her bag. Subtly, she withdrew it just as Shae came over and sat opposite. During breakfast and lunch, nobody really cared where you sat. Shae, being a Slytherin, drew some odd looks from some of the Gryffindors, but nobody said anything. Shae and Dany began talking away, Dany wondering what had happened in Potions, while Sansa read her note under the table after purposefully dropping her knife.

'_Would you like to walk with me during lunch? I'll wait just outside the Entrance Hall if you do.' _It looked as though Margeary had doodled a small rose in the top corner. Sansa felt her smile widen as she straightened up, accidentally banging her head against the table.

"You okay?" asked Shae as Sansa emerged, rubbing her head, her note folded up and slipped into her pocket.

"Fine," she replied. She finished her meal a little quicker than normal while the other two talked about Gendry still being in the hospital wing due to his burns. "Dany, watch my stuff for a while?" she asked as she stood up.

"Sure. Where're you going?" asked Dany, as Shae looked up curiously. Sansa's mind raced for a moment.

"I have to see Professor Binns, I forgot to ask him something."

"Rather you than me," replied Dany with a grimace. Sansa nodded, before hurrying away, leaving her robes – no way was she wearing those again today, it was way too hot – her bag and books and strode through the gap between the tables. As soon as she approached the Entrance Hall, she was stopped by two large students. A Hufflepuff – the big one, and a Slytherin, by their uniforms.

"Joffrey wants to speak to you," one said. One was short and skinny, but looked devious, the other large and muscle-bound. Sansa sighed, rolling her eyes. Joffrey had this mad following ever since his father, a Hufflepuff legend was at school. He didn't really have much in the way of power in the school, but his cousin, Cersei and her brother Jaime, both Slytherins, they held the real power in the school. Basically, if you did something against them, there'd be a campaign to ruin the rest of your school life. The teacher would try to stop it, but they'd find a way. The only way to get them to stop would be to beat them at their own game, or kill them. The first was difficult and the second was illegal, so Sansa hoped to stay under their radar until next year, when they left the school. They protected Joffrey with almost a parental ferocity. Now Sansa, because of her mistake last year, was going to pay.

"I don't want to speak to him," she replied coolly. Both folded their arms simultaneously.

"He didn't say you had a choice," said the big one, cracking his knuckles. The small one drew his wand. Sansa had drawn hers too, a shield charm about to fall from her lips when she heard someone clearing their throat. All three stopped and looked. Margeary stood in the doorway, of the Entrance hall, soft birdsong mixing with the chatter from the Great Hall.

"Am I interrupting?" she asked, her voice sweet but steely.

"Not if you keep walking," hissed the smaller one.

"We'd like some privacy please, if you wouldn't mind going back inside," replied Margeary stepping closer, coming to a halt at Sansa's side, standing ever so slightly in front of her and looking calmly at her aggressors. Though Margeary was shorter than her, Sansa could nearly feel the confidence and surety that seemed to flow right off of her. Sansa was aware that Margeary's wand was still tucking into the waistband of her skirt. When they didn't move, her tone changed to irritated, as she stepped right up to them. "Or you could give me your names, I'll ask Dumbledore to speak with you himself," she said, grabbing Sansa's hand and guiding her away, throwing daggers at the two boys, who shrugged and walked away, spotting Dumbledore in the Great Hall.

The pair walked through the large front doors and down the steps, Margeary only letting go of her hand when they'd walked down to the courtyard.

"So," said Margeary, stopping and facing Sansa. "What were you thinking?"

"What?" asked Sansa, bemused.

"During History, what were you thinking?

"Oh…" _You_, she thought, before slapping herself internally. "I… can't tell you." _Well done, Sansa, best bloody excuse EVER!_

"Why not? I'll tell you what I was thinking!" Margeary replied, gripping Sansa's arm and walking through the courtyard and taking the path towards the lake. "I was thinking about… my studying, my homework, what book I'm reading tonight. Boring and geeky, I'm afraid," she said. Then she turned as they continued to walk, the breeze drifting through their hair, toying with it playfully. "And you?"

Sansa was a little blind-sided. She needed time to recover. "I'm sorry, I just can't…" _Can't think more like, you're supposed to be smart! Act like it! _Her mind was unforgiving at times, she realised. Sansa was glad though, when Margeary seemed to let it go, looking at the ground for a moment before they stepped off of the stone path and onto the grassy one that led to the lake. The light wind ruffled the leaves on the trees as they walked, the birds chirping away to each other without a care in the world as the sun shone down on them. Other people were milling about, but none paid anyone else much attention, all wrapped up in their own worlds.

"My cousin Allana was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen. When I was twelve, I was all elbows and knees and Allana looked like a goddess sent to torture me." Sansa couldn't help but giggle at this. She mourned the loss of contact though when Margeary released her arm as the hill got steeper. "Pig-face, she'd call me," laughed Margeary. Sansa, having no idea where this was going, laughed too. She was enthralled in every word Margeary said.

"Pig-face? That's ridiculous," she replied, brushing a lock of red hair from her face.

"I think it had something to do with my nose. Whenever she'd pass me in the halls, she'd oink." Sansa couldn't even imagine a less pretty version of Margeary, but couldn't help but laugh as Margeary did a very good impression of a pig. "So I cast a spell to give her a horrible skin disease. A while later her face was covered in boils and eventually her face slid off and she died in agony," she deadpanned. Sansa froze for a moment.

"That's… that's horrible," she stuttered, trying to work out if it was a joke. Margeary was an insanely good liar, Sansa had no idea. Only when Margeary burst out laughing did Sansa let out a sigh of relief.

"I believed you for a second!" exclaimed Sansa, gently slapping Margeary's arm as the girl continued laughing, but not unkindly. Their hands joined for a moment and contact lingered for a second. "I'm an idiot," sighed Sansa.

"Don't say that, no you're not!" replied Margeary. Sansa smiled happily as they reached the bank of the lake. They took a moment, staring out over the calm waters. A comfortable silence fell between them for a moment. "I want us to be friends," said Margeary. She paused. "Good friends," she said, looking over at Sansa.

"I do too," she replied after a moment.

"Good!" said Margeary, turning to face her. "Oh, you must see Ravenclaw tower at Halloween, we always have a party after midnight!" Her eyes lit up with excitement.

"But… I'm a Gryff-"

"All houses are invited, we hold it in this room near the common room, so it's far away enough from teachers not to notice."

"Well… okay then," smiled Sansa. _Interesting few months ahead, I think._


	5. Chapter 5

I really apologise for my spelling of Margaery's name, I corrected it in this one. This is a pretty long one, and I really hope you like it. Please review and tell me what you think, and I apologise again for the hurriedness of the last few chapters.

Time passed quickly as the days seem to blend into one another. Just like the last three years, Sansa could feel herself becoming lost in routine, just going through the motions of her life every day. Monday turned into Tuesday, and somehow Tuesday turned into Thursday, and finally it was Saturday. Sansa woke early in the morning, as usual, while Dany was still sleep across the dorm. Sansa got up carefully, trying not to wake any of the other occupants. Succeeding in her quest, she grabbed her clothes and towel from her bed and quickly, in her pyjamas, walked through the deserted common room and slipped out of the portrait hole, venturing down into the depths of the castle in her bare feet, the stone cold against her skin. She shivered slightly as she walked, picking up the pace to warm up. Upon reaching the large student bathroom, she entered and made her way to the shower cubicles. By 'shower' it was more accurate to say 'gargoyles with warm water spewing from their mouths' but they served the same purpose. Sansa slid inside the large cubicle and undressed before stepping inside the small pool of water on the floor, slightly sunken into the ground and separated from the rest of the cubicle by a small stone wall. The water came on as if by magic – Sansa smirked at her own terrible, terrible pun. Still amused, she washed herself, deciding to leave her hair until the next day, as she had washed it recently, and stepped out of the pool again. The water stopped, and she towelled herself dry before pulling on her clothes.

After heading up to the dormitory to dump her pyjamas and wet towel, she slipped on her fluffy socks and shoes, grabbed her book and wandered off again. Deciding the library was as good a place as any, she made her way there. It should be open, and if it wasn't, well, she'd go somewhere else. Or use her wand. Either way worked. Passing nobody, not a living or dead soul on her way, she skipped lightly down the corridor as she approached the door. Pushing against it, she found it to be open. Happy, she slipped inside and went to her usual spot, hidden deep in the stacks. Her window ledge. Hopping up onto the cool stone, she pulled her sleeves down over her hands in a vain attempt to preserve heat and opened the book to her page and lost herself in the adventure.

Some while later, Sansa wasn't sure how long, she heard someone moving around on what sounded like the other side of the library. Was someone upstairs? She wasn't sure if she should really be in here this early. But, deciding Madame Pince wouldn't mind too much, she closed over her book and got up, holding it tightly by her side with her right hand. She had taken her shoes off when she'd first sat down, and now padded silently over the wooden floor on her lilac fluffy socks with a white wolf on them. She approached the sounds of scuffling, flicking pages and sighs of frustration, all of them growing louder as she walked. When she was just behind the stack where the source of the noise was, she carefully and quietly pulled out a book in order to squint through the shelf to the other side. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do about the book on the other side without risking being noticed. It didn't sound like Madame Pince… Sansa then tiptoed away, putting a few aisles in between them, before taking a breath and dropping her book loudly, straining her ears for a response. The cursing stopped. There was a tense silence.

Finally, Sansa heard footsteps.

"Is someone there?" came a familiar voice.

"Margaery?" asked Sansa. The footsteps seemed to re-orientate themselves a little. Margaery didn't know where she was.

"Sansa? IS that you?" she replied.

"Yes," said Sansa as she walked to the end of her aisle. Looking towards Margaery's she heard a light, very very light scuffling sound, and perhaps a book closing. Sansa wandered down the aisle to see Margaery sitting atop a desk with a pile of books scattered around her. Though Margaery looked calm and collected, as always, Sansa could feel there was something off.

"Good morning," greeted Margaery, closing her book and setting it on the desk.

"Same to you. What are you doing up so early?" asked Sansa, walking slowly closer, reaching out her hand unconsciously to brush the spines of the books.

"I had some research I wanted to do. Yourself?" she asked with a smile.

"I was reading," Sansa replied, holding up her book. Margaery seemed to cast her glance downwards, and a smile spread across her face again.

"I love your socks," she commented. Sansa scanned for sarcasm before coming up clean.

"I don't really like shoes," she shrugged. Margaery laughed. "What are you researching?" asked Sansa curiously. Margaery only smiled and slid off the desk, linking arms with Sansa and leading her through the stacks.  
"Oh, nothing interesting, just some work for a... personal project, so to speak," she said, eyeing the books over her shoulder, before pulling Sansa away gently.  
"Did you have a good sleep?" asked Margaery.  
"Yes, I just always wake up early."  
"Ah, me too. Well, how about instead of spending our time in a dusty old library, we go for another walk? I enjoyed last time," she said with a wide smile. Sansa nodded, and Margaery let go of her arm.  
"I just need to pack up. Nobody's supposed to be in here quite this early." Sansa opened her mouth to comment, but Margaery cut in.  
"I always cover my tracks, don't worry! Besides, I come here often. There are usually others who take advantage too. I just lock the door on my way out."  
"That's usually me who's in here early," said Sansa truthfully.  
"Oh! I am sorry, usually I just leave and lock up a few minutes before Pince comes down to open it herself, so it's not like you'd have been locked in for ages or anything."  
"It's no problem," smiled Sansa.  
Margaery smiled, squeezing Sansa's arm before darting away behind the stacks again, her curls bouncing off of her shoulders as she hurried away. Sansa sighed and hurried off through the aisles to her window-ledge, where she retrieved her black boots, slipping them on before returning to the centre of the library. She leant against the librarian's desk to wait. A few minutes later, Margaery was back at her side, carrying her bag over her shoulder and a few books in her hand.

"Right, let me drop off my things then we'll go, okay?" she said as she headed for the stairs. Sansa followed in her wake as the girl hurried up the steps, their footsteps synchronising halfway up. Sansa, used to making the climb to the Gryffindor Tower, so didn't tire easily. They walked in amicable silence, Margaery sometimes commenting on the art as they passed, whispering conspiratorially so they wouldn't wake up, some of them asleep in the oddest positions. Finally, and Sansa breathing only a little heavier than normal, they arrived in the corridor that led up to the Ravenclaw common room.

"Just give me a minute, okay?" said Margaery, giving Sansa's arm a gentle squeeze. Sansa smiled and nodded as she watched Margaery walk away from her down the blue rug that ran along the stone floor. Sansa, sighing, sank to the ground. She was growing hungry, but breakfast wasn't on for a while yet. The dawn sunlight poured through the high windows and bounced off of Sansa's page as she began reading, but not taking much in. An image of Margaery's retreating figure invaded her thoughts every time she tried to concentrate. Sansa was wearing her comfy blue jeans, a brown silk shirt with sleeves covered by her black hoodie to stave off the cold. Margaery must have been pretty cold in the library – the girl was wearing a pair of black skinny jeans and a thin, light blue top that buttoned up the front. As Sansa eventually lost herself in the story, she heard a door closing close by and looked up. Margaery was striding towards her, her shirt covered by a black jacket.

"Want to wander outside?" she asked, buttoning up her jacket and buckling the belt around her waist. Her heeled boots clacked against the floor as they wandered to the stairs, leaving the Tower. Sansa's boots were less stylish, but a lot warmer, she guessed. And comfier. But now Margaery was almost the same height as her. Margaery linked arms with Sansa as they walked, a little grin playing on the Ravenclaw's face as she saw Sansa blush ever so slightly.

"It's so cold here!" exclaimed Margaery, pulling herself closer to Sansa for warmth. She looked to Sansa, who shrugged. "Do you not find it cold?"

"My family live quite far north, so this is mild," smiled Sansa as she breathed in the chilled autumn breeze, her breath forming a cloud in front of her.

"I live much further south, so even after four years, I'm still not used to it," replied Margaery, tucking her arms around herself, releasing Sansa. Sansa stuffed her hands in her hoodie pocket to keep them warm. They came to the edge of the hill that led to the Whomping Willow and stopped to watch the impressive tree in a rare moment of calm, its branches drifting lazily in the wind. "Highgarden, out estate, is warm and beautiful, the gardens are full of pretty flowers and the food is incredible," she said, and with a small hint of lament in her tone.

"I love my home, but it _does_ get really cold most of the year. We have to wear furs and capes, even indoors. But the fires burn all the time, and there's always a large meal. My father-" Sansa's breath caught in her throat as she reminisced about her home. She had tried to forget it. It was easier when she was at school. Unbidden, the image of her father drifted into her mind and stuck fast. She couldn't speak any more. Tears pricked behind her eyes before she shut down her emotions. She had grown skilled at this, and she managed to maintain her composure. However, Margaery had noticed, but chose to give her a sympathetic smile and looped her arm back around Sansa's, pulling them close on the hill.

"It'll get better," she said quietly. Sansa nodded, and sniffed slightly. They stood in silence for a few minutes, happy just to watch the sun rising over the mountains in the distance. "You'd love Highgarden, I think," smiled Margaery happily.

"It sounds lovely," admitted Sansa. A place where she'd be free. Where she didn't have to stop in her tracks every time she rounded a corner and a new memory struck her. Having to cry alone in her room. Prying her eyes away from Margaery's profile, she looked over to the sun, sighing.

"What's wrong?" asked Margaery, concern lacing her voice.

"Winter is coming," replied Sansa cryptically.

"Winter always comes. Then eventually it always turns into spring," said Margaery, squeezing Sansa's hand for a moment, before whirling round and walking back to the castle. Sansa breathed in a sigh and followed.

"I might see you later?" said Margaery, as they tumbled back into the warmth of the Entrance Hall. Margaery was shivering visibly; Sansa was in much better shape.

"I'd like that," replied Sansa. Margaery's face broke out into a happy smile as she grasped Sansa's hand, squeezing it gently as they parted ways at the top of the Grand Staircase.

Sansa wandered back to Gryffindor Tower and trudged up to the dorm room. As she passed through the common room, she could see some of the other students were groggily getting up and milling about in a zombie-like state before breakfast. Entering the dorm, she slipped past the other two girls who nodded and greeted her as they past, to which she returned in kind. However, as she sat on her bed, she caught Dany staring at her with a grin on her face.

"Where were you this morning?" she asked, sitting cross legged on her own bed, opposite Sansa's. Dany's white t-shirt was covered by her lilac waistcoat, her legs covered by jeans.

"I went to the library, as always," she replied casually.

"And you were there yourself?"

"Well… no, I ran into Margaery," she said, sitting on her own bed.

"Oh!" said Dany, leaping off of her own bed and perching on Sansa's, looking at her intently. "Do tell."

"She was in the library, it turns out she's been the one unlocking it early and sneaking out before she got caught. Pince must never have noticed me on the window ledge when she comes in."

"You spent that long pouring over books with her?"

"No, we went out for a walk in the grounds for a while too."

"So…?" asked Dany.

"What?" replied Sansa, looking at Dany oddly.

"What do you think of her?" asked the Targaryen, though she knew the answer. It was confirmed when Sansa's face flushed pink for a moment.

"She's smart, she's nice… that's all I really know. Well, except that she lives in Highgarden."

"Fancy," commented Dany.

"Says the great traveller who has the massive estate and three pet drag-"

"Shh!" hissed Dany, looking around furtively.

"Nobody's here!" said Sansa with a laugh.

"Still!" said Dany, but laughed too. "You like her?"

"She's alright, I guess," said Sansa, delighted with herself for keeping her voice steady.

"Okay, I'm too hungry to drag this out of you, let's go." Dany slid off the bed and pulled on her Converse before bouncing out of the dorm room, Sansa at her heels. Sansa towered over the short blonde, and couldn't help but bop the Targaryen heiress on the head at random points of the day. She was always met with a slap on the arm, but it was worth it. They walked down to the Great Hall, the smell of bacon, bread, pastry and a load of other food enveloping them as they descended the stairs. As she entered the room, Sansa's eyes went immediately to the Ravenclaw table and scanned for Margaery. She soon found her, sipping a glass of juice as her friends talked all around her. She was reading a book again, holding down the page with her free hand. Sansa followed Dany over to a space without drawing her eyes away. Then, Margaery looked up, straight at Sansa, as if she'd known she was being watched. She smiled, a smaller smile than normal, and almost a look of longing on her face.


	6. Chapter 6

Hey guys, I'm so happy that people seem to like this, and the plot begins to thicken a bit in the next few chapters, so I hope you like that too. All mistakes are mine, the histories are a little bit twisted to fit the story. Enjoy and please review :)

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Margaery sat at her table, surrounded by her friends. Some of them were from Highgarden, but Margaery felt a little apart from them. She grew tired of them easily, all of them constantly talking about boys, or girls, and complaining about classes. Margaery would find solace from this mind-numbing in her books, and soon her research. Well, she thought in hindsight, she liked her friends. Things were just a little… complicated with more than a few of them. Margaery would never talk about it. She didn't see the need to. But she caught the eye of the dark haired girl sitting opposite her and the girl blushed, clearing her throat and pointedly looking away. Margaery looked back at her book, sighing quietly. She had more important things to think about anyway. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Joffrey sitting at the Hufflepuff table, arguing with Cersei across the Slytherin and Hufflepuff tables. She smirked. Soon, she would make sure Joffrey would pay for what he did to her brother. And her plan was slowly coming together. Flipping over the page, she began reading the next page. Her eyes drifted over unconsciously to the Gryffindor table, searching for one face in particular. Unable to find it, she cast her glance up to the doors to see Sansa and her blonde friend talking as they entered the Hall. Sansa was intriguing. A girl from the north. Her fiery red hair so very different from the usual brunette of Highgarden. Margaery tried to focus again on the book, ignoring her friends chattering away. The dark haired girl got up and left after a few minutes, giving Margaery a perfect view of Sansa. Unable to help herself, she looked up from her book, zeroing in on Sansa. She was amused to see that Sansa had been looking at her. Curious to see her reaction, Margaery smiled a little. Sansa seemed a little sheepish, but only a little, returning the smile before looking away. Margaery, pleased, looked back down at her book, completely unabashed at catching the red-head. Out of her peripheral vision, she saw the little blonde friend playfully punch Sansa, who looked mock offended. Margaery smiled at this, then caught herself. She shouldn't.

Once Margaery had finished her breakfast, she folded the page in her book and got up, excusing herself from her friends. She walked out of the Hall, aware of Sansa's eyes following her. This was going to get complicated. She should stop just now. She found herself not wanting to hurt Sansa in the unveiling of her plan for revenge. This was between her and Joffrey. Avoiding Sansa's eye, she kept walking, straight out of the Hall and up the stairs. This wasn't some childish prank she was planning. Joffrey had begun a hate campaign for her brother ever since he had walked in on Loras and Renly in an empty classroom. Margaery had been enraged when Joffrey had publically humiliated her brother and her family, and vowed revenge. Nearly ready to implement her carefully thought out strategy, she didn't expect to be distracted by Sansa. Sure, she had seen her in passing for the last few years, but Margaery had been pretending to be Renly's girlfriend to protect him and Loras, she actively avoided contemplating romantic thoughts of anyone. Loras had gotten off lightly though. Joffrey had made Renly's life an even worse hell than Loras', so Renly moved schools.

"Hey, Margaery," said a girl's voice, snapping Margaery out of her thoughts. She turned.

Sansa watched Margaery leave the Hall. She didn't look particularly happy. Sansa found herself worrying about the girl she had known for barely two days. However, she shook the thoughts away and turned back to Dany, who was telling Sansa about her travels. She seemed a little cagey at times as Sansa listened intently, stopping mid-sentence and rethinking her words. Sansa guessed she was missing out little details, but she didn't mind. It was her life; she could tell it how she wanted.

"So, you want to go for a wander?" asked Dany as they stepped out of the Hall. Sansa nodded and they turned and left, Sansa experiencing a breath of delightfully fresh air for the second time that day, only it was considerably warmer now. Dany, though she couldn't be burned, didn't cope well with the cold, probably worse than Margaery did.

"Cold?" asked Sansa, nudging Dany.

"It's freezing!" she exclaimed in reply. She was glad she grabbed her fleece lined leather jacket before she left the dorm. She zipped it up and rubbed her hands together.

"Just wait until winter's here, you probably won't even make it out of the dorm," laughed Sansa.

"I managed for the last three years, thanks," replied Dany, pulling her jacket closer around herself and stuffing her hands in her pockets.

"So, you going to the Quidditch match next weekend?" asked Sansa, kicking her boot against the hard ground as they trudged towards the courtyard.

"I'm not really that into it, to be honest," said Dany. "Are you going? Cause it might be nicer with company."

"Jon's playing his first game. Arya's on the team too. Seeker," she added, answering Dany's next question. "Jon's a Chaser."

"Well, I think it'll be better with company, at any rate," replied Dany. Sansa heard her teeth chatter a little.

"Surely you know a charm or something to keep you warm."

"I do." Dany looked around shiftily, before taking off towards the lake, running the last few feet onto the pebbly bank. Sansa hastened to follow, sliding to a halt on the bank as Dany took out her wand, rolling up her sleeves, wincing in the cold. Dany concentrated for a moment, before moving her wand in a graceful pattern through the air. A tongue of fire emerged from the tip and followed her wands movements. Soon, a ball of fire had formed in her outstretched left hand. Dany looked at the fiery globe hovering on her relaxed palm, then to Sansa.

"Wow," said Sansa, mesmerised. Dany's wand arm dropped to her side.

"Took me ages to learn," she replied with a grin, watching the flames burn, reminded of her precious dragons she missed so much. "I think there's a version of the spell that creates a flame that doesn't burn flesh, but that's a whole other level of magic…" Dany tailed off as Sansa stepped closer, warming her hands from the globe. Sansa looked at Dany with a mischievous glint in her eye.

"You're not the only one who can show off." Now Sansa was grinning as she whipped out her wand. Her father had taught her how to do this before he had died.

"Expecto patronum!" she said confidently. She cast her mind back to her time surrounded by her whole family in their castle up north. All of them, Robb, Jon, Arya, Bran and Rickon, her mother and father sitting with her around a roaring fire, Lady lying across her legs while the other wolves played with each other. Out of her wand flared a bright silvery light, creating a swirling fog that eventually transformed into a large silver wolf, smoky tendrils floating away like little ribbons in the breeze.

"Impressive!" commented Dany as Sansa directed the Patronus to stalk towards Dany. It circled her once before returning to Sansa. She reached out her hand, a sad smile on her face as her fingers went through it, like they always did. Just the same way she couldn't touch the memories that created it anymore. "Where did you learn that?" demanded Dany. Sansa snapped out of her thoughts.

"We live in Winterfell, near the Wall. Sometimes creatures get past the Night's Watch, and we need to defend ourselves. My father taught me a lot of defensive spells."

"You have to teach me that!"

"Margaery Tyrell!" came a shout from behind her. Margaery turned as she sauntered through the library. She was getting sick of these interruptions. As she left the Hall earlier, she had hoped it was Sansa calling her, but it turned out to be one of her friends. It had taken ages to shake her off so Margaery get back to work. Now she was getting sick of interruptions, except from a very short list of students. Very short. She noticed a Hufflepuff boy approaching her. Her blood boiled as she recognised Joffrey.

"Hello, Joffrey, isn't it?" she asked. Joffrey had sandy coloured hair, most unlike the Baratheons he was related to. He was to inherit the Baratheon estate and riches." Margaery quickly shut her book and placed it behind her on the pile, face down.

"Yes. I just wanted to apologise for the… unfortunate events of last year."

"That's quite alright," she replied, trying to keep the contempt out of her voice.

"I also wanted to ask you something," he said, in a tone indicating his version of asking was more like demanding.

"Yes, Joffrey?" she said as sweetly as she could without rolling her eyes.

"I was wondering if you'd like to come to the Quidditch match with me. Hufflepuff versus Gryffindor, should be fun," he said. Margaery was surprised to see a small amount, the tiniest possible shake in his confidence in his eyes. She opened her mouth to decline, but thought better of it.

"I'd like that," she said. She was aware of Cersei listening from the next stack.

"Good," smiled Joffrey. He gave a short bow which was almost charming, and turned to leave. Margaery watched as Cersei joined him as he passed, seeming to be scolding him. Margaery sighed and went back to her research. She was nearly ready.

"You've nearly got it!" cried Sansa as Dany collapsed onto the pebbles, a light sheen of sweat coating her forehead. She panted as she shakily got to her feet, Sansa helping her up. The sun was shining down on them as they practised. They had shed their jackets and left them a short distance away. Dany hadn't managed to summon a fully formed Patronus, but had accomplished the basic shield version, if only for a few seconds. That had been attempt number fourteen. They were now on attempt twenty, and while she had produced a small amount of Patronus, it wouldn't be enough to keep Dementors away for long. "You're doing really well," said Sansa honestly. It was hard work, especially when someone as stubborn as Dany didn't give up.

"Is it supposed to be that… draining?" she asked, panting as she tried to keep her vision from going black.

"Yes, it is at first. I told you, you should have stopped ages ago!"

"I'm fine! It was just a little more taxing than I expected."

"You'll get better with practise." Dany looked paler than usual. "Come on, we need to get your sugar levels up again. Are you okay to walk?"

Dany let go of Sansa and took a few steps. She managed to stay on her feet. "Yeah, I'm okay."

Sansa checked her watch. It was nearly twelve. Not long until lunch.

"Should we steal from the kitchens?" asked Sansa, concerned. Jon had fainted a lot when he learned to perform it. Sansa too, but she took her training slow and steady. Sansa hadn't really wanted to learn at the start, seeing it as just not in her interest. But one night she was faced with a Dementor, and was only still one with her soul because her mother had charged out and chased it away with her oddly beautiful fish Patronus. Then, she had dedicated herself to learning all she could to defend herself.

"You do that?" replied Dany as they made their way slowly back up to the castle. Even the five minute walk seemed daunting to Dany in her state. Sansa knew she had to eat and rest for a while.

"No. Arya does though. She dragged me down a few times with her," Sansa said, smiling fondly at the memory. Arya had taken to her training like a fish to water, diving right in and was probably the most capable of the Stark family. In their duels, Sansa could hold her own but Arya was just… amazing. Her wandwork was precise and flawless, fast as lightning. Sansa had the patience for a long defence though, and could fend off Arya's attacks long enough to find an opening and land a few blows herself. They should really duel again soon, she decided.

"I'll be fine," said Dany as they climbed the hill. Sansa slowed down to wait for her.

"You sure?"

"Seriously, quit worrying! The great Starks should cower in fear of the mighty Targaryens, even when they're a little off balance," she joked, but Sansa still had to reach out and grab Dany's arm before she fell over on the path.

"This _mighty Targaryen_ still seems to need someone to keep her on her feet."

"The great Stark may have a point," she said, rubbing her spinning head.

"Come on, kitchens it is," said Sansa.

"It's not far," said Sansa, basically dragging an exhausted Targaryen down the stairs to the kitchens. As they walked, Sansa froze.

"What's wrong?" asked Dany, suddenly aware in her drained state that something was really not right. Sansa said nothing. Walking from the direction of the Hufflepuff common room was Joffrey. He was alone, for once. Joffrey ascended the stairs and looked up, a grin growing on his face as he drew level with Sansa and Dany. Sansa stood with her arm linked with Dany's, keeping the other girl up.

"Hello, Sansa, so good to see you again," he drawled. "I've been meaning to speak with you. How's your father?" he asked casually. Sansa inhaled sharply, fists clenching. Dany could feel Sansa's fingernails digging into her sleeve. Sansa was speechless with rage. "Oh, I'm _so _sorry, he died didn't he?"

"Your family murdered him," growled Sansa. Her gaze flitted to the bottom of the stairs. It would be so easy to push him, and the little git wouldn't bother her again. But she felt Dany squeezing her arm almost painfully, silently begging her to let it go.

"Technicalities," he said with a cruel smile, waving Sansa away. "It made for quite a show, didn't it?"

"Sansa!" yelled Dany, grabbing her arm clumsily as her wand seemed to appear in her hand and point straight at Joffrey.

"You wouldn't," smirked Joffrey. Sansa's eyes were burning with fury as she stood for a tense moment, her wand an inch from Joffrey's face, right between the eyes.

"You're right," she said calmly, stowing her wand away again slowly.

"I knew it, the Starks are all talk-" He didn't get to finish his sentence though, as Sansa's fist flew through the air and smacked him in the face. He stumbled back, falling against the wall, clutching his nose as blood spattered the marble stairs. He gazed up at Sansa, who ignored the pain in her fist as she continued down the stairs with Dany, who had enough energy to flip Joffrey off behind Sansa's back. Joffrey, enraged but embarrassed, ran up the stairs, blood flying behind him leaving a trail behind him.


	7. Chapter 7

Hey again, this story really won't leave me alone, so I'm just writing these out one after the other. Hope you like it :) All mistakes are mine, please review if you like.

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After tickling the pear in the painting, Sansa opened the door to reveal a bustling kitchen full of house elves. One noticed their arrival immediately and, noting Dany's obvious exhaustion, fetched a chair and let her sit down.

"Can we possibly get something to help her, please?" asked Sansa, looking to the house elves, a group of five now, who were eager to help. They all nodded, bowing and curtseying before scrambling away, returning with a basket of bread, some meat, a mug of something and a banana. Dany looked a little overwhelmed, but took the mug first. It was full of sugary tea. She drank it down greedily and then tore off a piece of bread, stuffing her face rather ungraciously, but Sansa was just glad she was slowly regaining her normal pallor. Her long hair was tied back in its usual intricate braid while Sansa usually styled hers simply. As Dany devoured everything the house elves brought her – much to their delight – Sansa flexed her fist, wincing as she feared her knuckles were bruised.

"You alright?" asked Dany once she had finished and felt well enough to stand up. She was glad to note that she was no longer dizzy, just a bit tired.

"Yeah, my hand's a little stiff," she said.

"That was a terrific punch, by the way," said Dany, pulling off her coat. She was roasting in the heat of the kitchens. "Thank you," she said, spinning and smiling at the elves, who bowed before scampering back to work when they assured them they were okay now.

"It bloody hurt," grumbled Sansa.

"Don't you feel better now, though?" asked Dany as they turned to leave.

"I do, a bit," she admitted. They walked, Dany still moving a little unsteadily, but she had the colour back in her face, and her eyes were bright and sparkling again.

"Exactly! And it'll knock Joffrey off his high horse for a while, at least," said Dany. They rounded the corner and climbed the stairs. Halfway up, they saw the red stain of coagulating blood on the stairs. Sansa pulled out her wand and did as Dany had taught her, muttering the spell as the blood evaporated.

"Well done," said Dany, impressed.

"I just hope Joffrey doesn't cause trouble over this."

"I'm afraid that since its Joffrey, he probably will try to get his pride back somehow."

"Let's just stay on guard for a while," said Dany. Sansa nodded as they emerged from the brightly lit stairway, the fire brackets glowing comfortingly on the walls. They spotted more tiny drops of blood on the stone floor of the Entrance Hall as they headed to the Grand Staircase. Dany caught Sansa's worried expression, the red-headed girl biting her lip anxiously as she turned over thoughts in her head.

"Hey, don't worry about it," she said as they climbed. "Joffrey's a little git, we can take him." Sansa smiled, grateful she had decided to help Dany in the library that day.

Margaery looked into the mirror in the bathroom. Her eyes underneath her make-up were dark, and she covered them with some concealer. After fixing her long brown hair so it looked at least a little bit presentable, she straightened her creased clothes – she had fallen asleep for a few hours after her encounter with Joffrey. It sickened her to her stomach that she would have to spend more time with him, but it seemed the best idea. Margaery was under no illusions to how… charming… she could be, and was confident she could at least loosen Cersei's control over him just enough to cause friction between the pair, and thus weaken them. Sighing, she stood up straight, checking her blue shirt in the mirror again before turning and leaving, her boots clacking against the floor. Rubbing her stiff neck, she began her climb back up to Ravenclaw Tower. The rest of her dorm had expressed concern for her health, as she was up early and late back, even dozing off in the common room with her face buried in a book. However, as she returned to the common room, closing the door behind her, having answered the question easily, she found Professors Flitwick and McGonagall standing in the common room. Both looked grim, and their expressions didn't get any better when they saw her.

"What's happening?" she asked, trying not to let her tiredness seep into her voice. If this was some kind of intervention, she wasn't going to be pleased.

"Miss Tyrell, I'm afraid it's Loras," said Flitwick, carefully.

"What's wrong with him?" asked Margaery, looking back and forth between the teachers.

"Well… Miss Tyrell, I think we should do this in a less public place," said McGonagall, in a kind voice. Now Margaery was truly worried.

"Would you care to follow us to the hospital wing?" asked Flitwick. Margaery nodded, unable to speak. Something had happened to Loras.

"Hey, isn't that Margaery?" said Dany, pointing down the corridor. Sansa's head snapped in the indicated direction.

"Where?" she asked, wondering why Margaery would be this close to Gryffindor Tower.

"You so like her!" laughed Dany.

"Shut up! And I don't, you're being ridiculous!" said Sansa.

"If you say so," said Dany, in a tone that let Sansa know she had no intention of dropping it.

"Stop saying that! Besides, why are we always talking about me? What about you?" At this, Dany burst out laughing.

"I have had more than my share, I'm taking a break for a while," she said, with a little remorse. Sansa decided to drop it.

Margaery entered the hospital wing, brushing past Flitwick, who held the door open for her. The trio passed Madame Pomfrey, who gave her a sad, comforting smile.

"Miss Tyrell, I think you should sit down for this," said Flitwick, his eyes shining with concern.

"I'm fine, sir. Can you please tell me what's going on?" she nearly begged. The suspense was killing her. Flitwick nodded and looked at the floor as he drew back the curtain around the bed. Margaery couldn't suppress the gasp at the sight that met her. She haltingly stepped towards the bed, leaning her hands against the edge.

"L… Loras?" she whispered as tears formed in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Margaery," said McGonagall, placing her hand on Margaery's shoulder.

"What happened?" she whispered, not able to tear her eyes away from her brother. His face was paler than usual. His wrists were bandaged.

"He was found in his dormitory. It seemed he had… slit his wrists. Madame Pomfrey also found evidence of a Sleeping Draught in his system. It would appear he cut himself and then drank the Draught. If he hadn't been found when he was, then…" McGonagall tailed off. "He will be sent home to your parents. You may go with them-"

"No," said Margaery, a little abruptly. She recovered herself, wiping her eyes and biting back the tears. She turned to the teachers. "I'd like to stay, if that's alright," she said, her voice a little choked.

"Of course. An owl has been sent to Highgarden. Your parents are unfortunately unable to pick him up. We'll be sending him back tomorrow when he's stable." Margaery took a calming breath.

"Okay."

"Is there anything we can do for you, Miss Tyrell?" asked Flitwick.

"I'm alright, really. I just need to think," she said. The teachers nodded and Margaery fled from the room, trying to hold in her emotions until she got to a quiet place. If she returned to the Tower, shed be hounded by questions and pitying looks. She couldn't deal with that right now. She couldn't stay with Loras any longer. She was furious, upset and a whole host of emotions she would rather not address. She needed air. She strode as quickly as she could through the corridors and down the stairs, emerging five minutes later from the castle's front doors and then fled towards the lake. She stumbled down the hill and collapsed on the shore, ignoring the pain in her knees as she rested her elbows on her thighs and wept into her hands.

Dany and Sansa sat in the common room by the fire. It was relatively quiet for the afternoon, the sun had disappeared behind a bank of clouds, and the rain pattered gently off of the window. The inseparable pair were discussing their Defence Against the Dark Arts homework assignment for an hour or so before someone entered the common room.

"Hey, Larry!" the girl yelled, as she approached a boy sitting at the table behind the sofa that Dany and Sansa occupied. She threw herself onto the seat. "Did you hear? I was just down at the hospital wing, I was bitten by that Venemous Tentacula _again_ and…" she tailed off, looking around furtively as she leaned closer. "That Tyrell boy, the Ravenclaw. He's in there, apparently tried to commit suicide!" she hissed. Sansa and Dany froze. They hadn't meant to listen, but the words floated over to them. Sansa couldn't help herself, shooting Dany a worried look. Dany looked equally concerned.

"His sister, Margaery, I think, she was there. He's being taken home tomorrow-"

"Emily, you shouldn't be spreading stuff like this-"

"I know, but it's not like it happens often, does it? Anyway, Lisa said she saw the sister running across the grounds a few hours ago, she hasn't come back yet."

At this, Sansa got to her feet, and dashed in her socks to the dorm. Dany followed behind.

"Sansa, are you going to look for her?" she asked.

"Yes," she replied, pulling on her boots and grabbing her jacket from the bedpost, shrugging it on. "You can try and talk me out of it-" She turned around to see Dany looking at her, trainers on feet and a leather jacket covering her torso. "I guess you're coming," Sansa smiled.

"Of course," replied Dany. "Two sets of eyes are better than one, after all." Sansa, grateful for her friend's concern, followed Dany out of the door.

"Right, I'll check down by Hagrid's and the Willow," said Sansa, not caring that her hair was already damp as they walked down the muddy path. Dany nodded. "I'll go by the lake. Meet back here?"

"Sure," replied Sansa, before she took off down the path. Dany turned and headed down her path. She didn't know all that much about Margaery, but Sansa cared about her a lot, despite the fact she didn't admit it. And Margaery had helped her out, so it was the least she could do. Walking at a brisk pace, she found herself slipping down the steep path to the lake, the reeds growing high on either side of her, the large dark blotches of the Forbidden Forest to her right in the distance. The sky was beginning to darken slightly as she walked. She hoped things would work out for Sansa. She deserved it after Joffrey. As she drew closer to the lake, she heard faint sounds of movement. She quickened her pace, hoping it wasn't just a bird moving about or something. The pebbles crunched under her feet, knocking together as she stepped onto the beach. Looking around, she froze as she saw a completely soaked Margaery Tyrell sitting as close to the shallow lake water as she could without being in it, her knees drawn up to her chest, her forehead resting on her knees. Dany wasn't entirely sure what to do when she heard the small sniffing sobs. They were quiet but sounded painful. Dany suddenly felt like she was intruding where she wasn't wanted, like a spy, so she cleared her throat and approached Margaery. The girl stiffened for a moment, whirling round, her eyes wild for a second. She must have been ashamed, terrified of seeming this vulnerable in front of someone. But she recognised Dany, and relaxed a little. The rain caused ripples in the calm lake water.

"Are you alright?" asked Dany tenderly, carefully.

"Fine," replied Margaery, wiping her face as Dany stood beside her. Margaery looked out over the lake and Dany could see a fresh tear slide down her face, though it might be water dripping from her sopping wet hair.

"I don't need Veritaserum to tell that you're lying," she said with a slight smile.

"You know what happened, don't you?" asked Margaery.

"Yes," replied Dany. There was a silence, broken only by the rustling of the surrounding trees and the gentle pattering of the rain. "You should go inside, you'll catch a cold."

"I'll be fine," said Margaery. She sounded so tired. "I can't go back yet. You go though, I'm fine." Dany considered her words for a moment. Margaery expected her to go. Why would she stay? Instead, she felt a warmth envelope her. Looking up in surprise, she saw Dany sitting next to her, the leather jacket now draped over Margaery's shoulders. She began to tug it off.

"I can't take this, you'll be soaked-" said Margaery, but Dany waved away her concern.

"You _are_ soaked," replied Dany, crossing her legs and drawing her wand. She pointed to the sky and muttered a few words, her wand drifting in a lazy circle. Margaery watched, intrigued, until she noticed that she could no longer feel the rain on her skin. Looking over the lake though, the ripples were still forming at the same rate as they had been.

"Clever," she said as she realised. Dany had created a sort of invisible umbrella over them. It did nothing for the cold, however, and Dany was already close to shivering. Margaery was completely frozen. She hugged the jacket closer around her body. "You're still cold though," she said, eyeing Dany's bare arms. Dany twirled her wand again, as if contemplating something.

"Promise you won't tell anyone about what I'm about to do?" she said with a smile. Margaery in her mood was amazed she could manage a smile in reply, and nodded. Dany did the same trick she had with Sansa earlier, ending up with a fistful of fire. She could have cast a fire on the beach but there was nothing to keep it burning. Margaery's eyes were wide with wonder.

"Is that Freezing Fire?" asked Margaery. She had heard about it, it was nicknamed Freezing Fire but what it really did was not burn the person who touched it. It was very sophisticated spellwork, and didn't require fuel.

"Uhm…" said Dany. Margaery clearly knew the theory of it, so Dany didn't know if she could bluff her way through it. Margaery reached out slowly to it. "It can't be," she said, her eyes wide with wonder as her brain worked furiously to solve this puzzle. "It doesn't burn," she said, drawing her pale hand away thoughtfully when she felt it too hot. Margaery's eyebrow rose as she turned, taking in Dany's appearance.

"You're a Targaryen, aren't you?" she asked. Dany nodded. Busted. "So it's true, then," said Margaery in awe. Dany held it closer so the pair of them could warm up by it.

"Can I ask you not to spread this around. Only you and Sansa know about it."

"Of course," said Margaery. They sat in silence, or talking amicably about random subjects. Margaery relaxed a little, her mind being distracted from Loras. Soon, the darkness had well and truly fallen.

"We should probably get back," she sighed, watching as Dany tossed the ball of fire in the air, as she had been for the past fifteen minutes.

"Are you going to be okay?" asked Dany, before she cursed herself for such a stupid question.

"I will be." Dany clambered to her feet, reaching down to help Margaery up. Margaery went to pull the jacket from over her shoulders, but Dany stopped her.

"I'm fine, you have it until we're inside." Dany quirked her head a little as Margaery looked a little odd.

"Thank you," she said.

"It's no problem, I have this to keep me warm anyway-"

"No, I mean for sitting with me."

"Again, it's no problem," smiled Dany. They got up and the invisible umbrella disappeared. As the pair headed for the castle, the fire in Dany's hand went out, casting them in almost complete darkness.

"Lumos!" they both said at the same time, and began their long and treacherous trek up to the castle as they got soaked again.


	8. Chapter 8

Hello again, just the usual all mistakes are mine, no beta and written late at night and very quickly. I'm trying to slow down a bit and be more thorough, and the plot should really get moving soon, so enjoy :)

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When Margaery and Dany eventually returned to the castle, Sansa had been waiting for them on the steps of the Grand Staircase, her sodden coat lying beside her. She had dealt with the teachers, saying that she just needed some time. McGonagall had left her to wait by herself, trusting that Margaery needed friends just now, not teachers. Sansa waited for ages, doing little spells to occupy herself and fighting the urge to go back out. Once she had returned, McGonagall had ordered her not to go back out for safety reasons. The teacher had also wanted to go out to look herself, but Sansa had said not to. She didn't think Margaery would want more people sticking their noses into her business. McGonagall had backed off if Sansa promised to tell her if something happened. Sansa did so, telling her that she would inform immediately when Margaery returned. When the doors creaked open and a soaked pair stumbled into the warmth, enveloping them like a comforting blanket of heat, Sansa was on her feet and at their side immediately.

"Are you okay?" she asked to them both, but her eyes never left Margaery's pale face. The girl was shivering, she looked like Dany had dragged her out of the lake itself. Margaery nodded as Dany explained the story to Sansa. Sansa pulled Margaery into a quick hug. It lasted barely two seconds, but Sansa suddenly realised what she was doing. She pulled back, but kept her hands on Margaery's freezing arms, rubbing them softly to warm them up.

"I'm sorry, but we have to go to McGonagall's office. Only for a few minutes," she said to Margaery, who nodded again. She didn't seem to have the energy to talk as she pulled the jacket tighter around herself.

"Dany, you alright?" she asked as they climbed the stairs. Margaery walked close to Sansa, Dany on Sansa's other side. Dany too was soaked.

"Just cold and wet," replied Dany.

"Professor?" said Sansa, poking her head through the door.

"Miss Stark!" replied McGonagall, looking up from her desk. "Are they back?" she asked urgently.

"Yes, they're here," said Sansa, the corners of her lips twitching upwards as McGonagall let out a deep sigh. "They're just cold," she added as Dany and Margaery stepped in behind her.

"Well, come in! Here's some blankets. I'll be back in a moment. Wait here. Don't worry, you aren't in trouble," she added as she swept out of the door. Margaery nodded gratefully as Dany moved the chair closer to the fire and Sansa wrapped a blanket around her, removing Dany's coat from her shoulders. She pretended not to notice her heart jumping as she was in such close proximity to Margaery. Dany sat next to Margaery on the floor, feeling the tension leave her bones as the near burning air washed over her.

They waited in silence, Margaery staring into the flames as Dany looked to Sansa, who was only slightly drier than the other two. She was glad Margaery was alright.

"Do you need anything?" asked Dany quietly, looking up at Margaery.

"No, thank you," she said quietly but gratefully. Dany nodded.

McGonagall soon returned, holding three bottles of some fiery red liquid. She placed them on the table.

"Pepperup Potion," she explained to the three confused looks. "It'll ensure you don't get a cold. Would one of you mind reporting to Professor Dumbledore? It won't take long. Then you can all get some rest."

"I'll do it," said Dany, shooting Sansa a 'shut up' glare as the red-head opened her mouth. Dany grabbed her bottle and then followed McGonagall out of the office again, leaving Sansa and Margaery alone. Sansa picked up one of the bottles, pulling out the stopper and sniffing it gingerly. It smelled… not spicy but kind of sweet? It was a strange mixture. Sansa took a breath and sipped it. As soon as it touched her tongue, it stung immediately, like she'd just bitten into a really hot chilli, but worse. She coughed and spluttered as she swallowed the tiny mouthful. The liquid burned her throat and heat pooled in her chest. It felt oddly good. She took a proper swig, this time barely managing to swallow it before spitting it out. She spluttered again.

"That bad?" said Margaery, her tone lacking its usual bubbliness. Sansa nodded in reply, certain her face was embarrassingly pink due to the potion. Thankfully, the lighting in the room was dull, only a small oil lamp on the desk and the orange light of the fire.

"It's not nice," confirmed Sansa, her voice weak from coughing. Margaery smiled and turned back to the fire. Sansa managed to down the rest of hers quickly without choking. Feeling warm, despite her damp clothing, she set the bottle down next to the full one.

"Aren't you going to drink yours?" asked Sansa. Margaery didn't reply, she was lost in thought, lost in the flames. Sansa sighed. She picked up the bottle and knelt in front of Margaery. Her faraway eyes fixed on Sansa's, seeming to ground her a little. "I need you to drink this," she said softly. Margaery smiled as Sansa uncorked it and held it out to her. Margaery fished her hand out of the sea of blankets and reached out, taking the bottle and raising it to her lips. She grimaced as she swallowed, but managed to down half of the bottle before coughing. Sansa quickly took the bottle as Margaery's tired body convulsed. Finally, she stopped and down the rest of the bottle.

"Good," said Sansa, placing it back on the desk. She froze when she heard a faint sniff from near the fire. Sansa turned, unsure of what to do, until she saw Margaery trying to subtly wipe away a tear on her cheek. Sansa returned to her previous position, kneeling in front of Margaery. She placed her hands gently on Margaery's knees. Margaery dipped her head, hiding her face behind her damp hair.

"Hey," said Sansa, feeling suddenly bold and reaching up to Margaery's chin and raising her face so she looked at her. "Don't hide from everyone."

"I can't help it," replied Margaery weakly, looking into Sansa's eyes.

"You'll get through this. You and Loras," whispered Sansa, brushing a lock of curls behind Margaery's ear. Margaery sniffed again, a small sob escaping through her lips.

"Everything's so messed up," said Margaery finally, her voice sounding strangled.

"It'll get better," assured Sansa.

"How can you be sure?"

"Because you will," said Sansa simply. She didn't really know what she was saying, she was lost. She suddenly noticed Margaery's face a lot closer than it had been seconds before. She closed her eyes, feeling gentle, soft lips brush against hers for barely a second, before they parted as they heard footsteps outside. Sansa stood up and stood by the desk, clearing her throat as Margaery stood up, still draped in the blanket as McGonagall entered.

"Right, I think it's time everyone got some rest," she said kindly. She noted the two empty bottles, and winced as she heard hacking coming from behind her. Dany then entered, slamming the bottle on the desk and coughing.

"So that's what burning feels like," she said as she cleared her throat, grabbing Sansa and leaving, dragging Sansa with her. Sansa, still a little in shock, let herself be taken from the scene as Margaery and McGonagall left in the direction of Ravenclaw Tower. "Something happened, didn't it?" asked Dany.

"What?" asked Sansa.

"Never mind," said Dany, smiling. She could see it on Sansa's face. Something had happened between the two of them.

The next morning, Sansa was in an incredible mood. She had time to process everything that had happened, and she felt the happiest she had been for a while. Dany had noted the change, but hadn't said anything. Yet. She was happy to see Sansa like this, a little smile never far from her face. They sat talking with Arya and Jon through breakfast. Sansa's attention was flicking back and forth from Margaery, who sat still and quiet at the Ravenclaw table. She hadn't once met Sansa's gaze. Dany more than once had to jump in and save Arya and Jon from noticing Sansa's split attention. However, something caught her eye further down the table. Cersei was whispering threateningly in Joffrey's ear across the Hall, before storming off back to the Slytherin table. Sansa watched as Margaery looked up from a sheet of parchment, noticing this. She then got up and walked down the gap between the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables. Sansa's breath caught in her throat as she saw Margaery's hand drift over the back of Joffrey's shirt, lingering for a moment. Joffrey turned as Margaery sauntered past and watched her leave. Just before she left the Hall, she turned and winked at Joffrey. She was pleased at the besotted smile on Joffrey's face, and also the look of despise on Cersei's at the realisation that the Lannister's favourite pawn was being eased away from her. However, Margaery's heart broke as she eyes accidentally swept over Sansa, whose face was set. Cold. Detached. But Margaery could see through all that and it pained her to see how much hurt she had caused. Sighing, she steeled herself. Margaery Tyrell was determined that Joffrey would pay.

Sansa was surprisingly quiet after breakfast. She had excused herself a while ago and had only returned after a few hours to the common room. There, she buried herself in a book, while Dany worked on her essay, one that Sansa had already finished. She didn't want to disturb Sansa's obvious bad mood. Sansa would tell her what was wrong when she was ready. Unfortunately, Sansa's foul mood wasn't helped throughout the week as during every meal time and every class shared with Ravenclaws, she ignored Margaery completely. And Margaery seemed to be doing the same. Sansa was reverting to her old self, staying in the library, burying herself in her schoolwork and her books. And Dany could hear her sobs every night, but said nothing. What could she possibly say to make her feel better? By the time it was Saturday, Sansa was still lying in bed when everyone else was pre-match celebrating in the common room. Dany had been up for ages, and pushed her way through the crowd in the common room where she had been talking to her classmates. She climbed up to the dorm and stood in the doorway for a moment, looking across the room at her friend.

"Sansa? Are you getting up?" she asked carefully, padding over to the bed.

"No," groaned Sansa into her pillow. Dany sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, picking at the sleeve of her red jumper.

"Come on, the fresh air will do you good," urged Dany, shaking Sansa's shoulder lightly.

"Go away," the girl moaned in reply.

"Sansa, look, just come to the match, then we can steal some drinks from the after party, okay?"

"Leave me alone."

"Sansa Stark, of the Stark family. You are a bloody Direwolf. Get up and watch idiots flying around on broomsticks with me," ordered Dany.

"Can't the Targaryen dragon go watch it herself?"

"No, because I want to spend time with my friend. And if said friend doesn't get up, I will sit here and irritate her until she moves." There was a silence for a few moments, before Sansa let out a small laugh.

"You're so annoying," she said as she sat up. "You really won't leave?"

"Nope."

"You know I could probably throw you out easily."

"But you won't," grinned Dany, punching her lightly.

"Fine," sighed Sansa, drawing out the vowel as she began pulling on her clothes.

"This was a terrible idea!" yelled Sansa over the sound of the crowd. Not only was it windy and cold in the stands where the pair stood amongst the cheering students, Sansa just happened to be a few rows back from a certain curly haired girl and a blonde boy.


	9. Chapter 9

Hello again, I'm sorry for my delay with chapters. I know I'm stringing this out a bit, but I just love the story. All mistakes are mine, though I'm trying to take longer to go over it and refine it now, hence the delay. Please review, I'd love to hear from you :)

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"Dany, I'm leaving!" said Sansa, raising her voice so her words weren't snatched away by the cold wind.

"What? Why?" replied Dany, looking at her curiously. Dany had been cheering for Jon, Arya and the rest of the team as they played against the Hufflepuff team. The overcast sky threatening rain and the wind made for less than favourable playing conditions. Sansa drew her arms around herself, trying to lock in heat as she cast her glance towards the pair standing at the very front of the stands, several rows in front. It was close enough to see them talking to each other, Margaery smiling away. Sansa couldn't see Joffrey's face, but she hoped his broken nose was still hurting him. Dany followed her gaze. "Sansa! Just forget about it, it could be nothing-" she started, and then her words died in her throat as they saw Margaery press her lips gently, quickly against Joffrey's cheek before she pushed her way through the thronging crowd. Joffrey turned, his smile wide, watching her leave. Sansa felt her heart jump in her chest. She felt Dany's reassuring hand on her arm, but it made no difference. Sansa's fists clenched in fury. However, Joffrey's smile was wiped from his face as Cersei Lannister pushed into the space next to him and began to berate him harshly, from her body language. Sansa watched, intrigued, as Cersei slapped him over the head, the sixth year towering over Joffrey. The blonde hair must run in their family, as the cousins looked remarkably similar. Her eyes glinting with fury, Cersei then proceeded to shove her way after Margaery, who had disappeared.

"What was that about?" asked Dany, shouting over the noise.

"I'm not sure," replied Sansa. Turning back to the game, she tried to concentrate on it, restraining herself from cursing Joffrey, who remained where he was, but his face looked like thunder. Sansa, from her time with Joffrey, knew that Cersei was very protective of her young cousin, and seemed to dislike Sansa, but tolerated her. It might just be her overthinking, but Sansa wondered if there was something going on. Something dodgy.

"Tyrell!" Margaery turned at the voice as she walked up the hill. She saw Cersei Lannister, long blonde hair tied back as the wind whipped her ponytail over her shoulder. Margaery looked down at her, arms crossed defiantly.

"Can I help you?" replied Margaery to the older girl.

"Don't play dumb, you know what's going on! I know what you've been doing!" said Cersei, taking a few steps closer.

"I have no idea what you mean," said Margaery coolly, not backing down from the death stare Cersei had her locked in.

"Don't think that your 'research' was so secret." Margaery's jaw stiffened. The Lannister knew.

"What?" she said innocently, but there was a growl hidden somewhere.

"I know you know."

"I assure you, I don't know what you're talking about-" she said innocently, turning and walking away.

"Listen to me, Tyrell!" shouted Cersei, grabbing Margaery's arm and spinning her around. Though Margaery was further up the hill, Cersei was still taller than her, looming over her. "You will say nothing about the truth of Joffrey's parents, or I swear I will make you pay!" Cersei was a little surprised when Margaery's sweet face changed to a smug grin.

"And what're you going to do? I can tell at any time, and ruin Joffrey completely," she warned, pulling her arm free of Cersei's iron grip.

"Don't toy with me," cautioned Cersei.

"But it's so easy," Margaery smiled. "If you do anything to me, then everyone will know that Joffrey isn't a true Baratheon, and you're pathetic family will be shamed _and_ poor," she said simply, as if commenting on the weather.

"We'll see about that," grinned Cersei. Little did Margaery know that Cersei had uncovered her little plan ages ago, and had time to prepare. "Be careful what your next few moves are," she called after Margaery, who had returned to walking up the path. Margaery didn't reply, just continued walking. Cersei knew Margaery would have to wait until the appropriate time before she could unveil her secret for maximum effect, so she had a little time to deal with her. And Cersei would was sure the Tyrell would enjoy what Cersei had in mind.

The Gryffindor pair sat at the table for dinner, before they would go up for the after party. All the Gryffindors were cheering about their victory over Hufflepuff, team chants and calls flying across the Hall as the Hufflepuffs ignored it, some of them looking embarrassed or miserable. Or both. Margaery and Cersei glared at each other across the tables. Sansa was watching the Tyrell's back, torn between feeling angry or upset. Dany tried to distract her but her attempts failed. Sansa put on a good act for her sister and brother, who were further up the long table with the rest of the team and the Quidditch enthusiasts, discussing the game. Sansa ate slowly, chewing mechanically, like she was on autopilot. When Margaery got to her feet as some of the students began to leave, the Hufflepuffs slouching away as the Gryffindors jeered them, Sansa watched through narrowed eyes as the girl brushed past Joffrey, placing a kiss on his cheek as she passed, her eyes meeting Cersei's. To the sixth year, this all but amounted to a challenge. Margaery, smirking at Cersei's glower in her direction, did not see Sansa slam her fork down on the table and ignore Dany's pleas for her to leave it and sit back down. Sansa hurried determinedly down the table, striding to the door. She caught up with the Ravenclaw at the doors. Before Margaery could set foot over the doorway, Sansa had grabbed her wrist and spun her around.

"What-?" she started, expecting Joffrey or Cersei, her eyes blazing. When she saw it was Sansa though, she face softened, and slowly a look of terror formed in her eyes as she took in Sansa's cold but enraged face. Margaery had never seen someone look that detached and furious at the same time. "Sansa-" she began, attempting a sweet smile.

"No, don't 'Sansa' me," Sansa replied coldly. Her grip on Margaery's wrist was beginning to hurt. "What the hell was that last night?" she demanded, her voice rising. Though oblivious to the pair, they had caught the attention of those closest to them sitting at the tables.

"Oh," said Margaery, realisation striking her. She was vaguely aware of Sansa watching her, not that she could help that. She must have seen. "Sansa, I'm so sorry-"

"Why have you been avoiding me?" she asked, meeting the orbs of blue that looked similar to her own.

"Sansa, please," begged Margaery. If Sansa wasn't shaking with fury, she would have noted the absurdity of Margaery Tyrell begging. "I'll explain everything-" Sansa let go, leaving a red mark on Margaery's arm as she stepped back, laughing humourlessly.

"You know what? Never mind," she said. "I hope you and Joffrey are happy." Her tone was icy, her voice unintentionally rising in volume.

"No, Sansa-" Margaery pleaded. She had seen how hurt Sansa was under all of her emotional barriers. Sansa turned, not wanting to break down in front of her. And the whole school. Neither of them seemed to realise that everyone, even the teachers had gone quiet and were watching them. Sansa turned and strode through the doors of the Hall, disappearing from the audience's view.

"SANSA!" yelled Margaery from the door. She watched Sansa's retreating figure for a moment, before turning back to the Hall. She was met by a wall of silence. Every single head in the room was looking at her. She froze, looking at all the judging faces, before turning on her heel and fleeing the room with as much grace as she could muster. The silence continued, until hurried footsteps sounded form the Gryffindor table. Everyone followed the sound to see Daenerys Targaryen all but sprinting out of the Hall after them. Once she had left, two more sets of feet were heard and everyone watched Arya and Jon Stark followed in Dany's wake. Everyone was quiet again after that, waiting for something else to happen, but it didn't, and low mumblings slowly turned into renewed chatter as they finished their meal.

"Sansa!" yelled Dany, panting as she ran into the common room. The few Gryffindors who had finished their meal early to start the party all stopped and stared at her. Dany sighed, frustrated, and proceeded to barge past them and climbed up to the dorm room. Throwing the door wide, ignoring the loud slam that followed, Dany saw Sansa sitting on her bed, staring out of the window. She wasn't crying. She didn't even look angry. She just looked… empty.

"Are you alright?" she asked. Sansa looked at her, her eyes glinting in the weak moonlight.

"Fine," she replied flatly. "I'm thirsty. Could you get me a drink?" she asked.

"Sure," said Dany, quirking an eyebrow, but left. Sansa heard her footsteps fade as she descended the stairs. Sansa sighed as she pulled her pillow closer to her, hugging it to her chest. She just wanted to go back in time and change it. If Margaery hadn't helped them in the library, then none of this would've happened. Sansa would have preferred to be banned from the library than feel like this. Dany returned, carrying two bottles of Butterbeer. Sansa took hers and downed it. Dany stared at her as she gulped it down.

"Thank you," Sansa said monotonously.

"No problem," replied Dany, sipping her own, wondering what to do next. "Hey, do you need time alone, because I don't mind-" she started, her voice soft.

"I'm fine, really," she assured Dany. She smiled sadly, huffing a small laugh as she thought. "I'm sorry, I'm not a brilliant conversationalist right now."

"Are you ever?" replied Dany, and was glad when Sansa laughed, a warmer sound this time as the girl looked at the pillow she had curled herself around.

"Do you mind if I sleep for a bit?" asked Sansa quietly.

"I'll be back in a while, okay?" Dany replied, squeezing Sansa's shoulder. Sansa nodded and Dany left, closing the door as she went. She reached the foot of the stairs and was immediately hounded by Jon and Arya.

"Is she alright?"

"What's wrong with her?" they asked simultaneously.

"She's just tired," replied Dany. Arya tried to sneak past, but Dany leaned across the doorframe. "She really needs time alone right now," she explained, hoping it didn't sound rude.

"What's wrong with her?" asked Jon. Dany noticed other people had appeared in the common room and were listening intently across the room.

"She and Margaery just had a disagreement, that's all," said Dany, hoping that would be enough for now. Arya and Jon followed Dany's narrowed gaze and saw people were listening. They understood.

"But she's okay?" asked Arya.

"Yes, she'll be fine in a bit."

Margaery dived into a classroom on the fourth floor. She didn't know whose; she just knew it was the only open one she had encountered in the corridor. Slamming the door shut, she rested her back against it, letting loose a long groan before throwing herself onto one of the benches and holding her head in her hands. She couldn't believe she could have been so stupid. She had thought about catching up with Sansa, but she didn't expect Sansa would want to talk to her. So she had darted up the stairs and found the first unlocked classroom she could. She needed to be alone. Maybe she should stay alone. Less people would get hurt, and she herself wouldn't feel terrible for hurting the ones she cared about. There was a reason she had avoided having close friendships.


	10. Chapter 10

Wow, sorry about the wait. Uni takes up a lot of time, and I wanted to think this storyline out properly. I know it's a bit of a drag at the moment, but it'll get more interesting as it builds up. All mistakes are mine, my apologies if there are any. Let me know what you think, and I hope you enjoy this chapter :) Also, many thanks to the creator of the photoset that I based this on. Enjoy :)

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Sansa finally wandered down the stairs after a few hours, when everyone else had started to go to bed. The other girls in her dorm cast her odd looks as she brushed past them, still fully dressed. Trudging down the steps, she wound her way down the spiral staircase, the chatter from the room below growing gradually louder. Reaching the bottom, she leaned against the doorway for a moment. The common room was bedecked in red, banners hanging up everywhere. There was also mess everywhere – that would take ages to clean up in the morning. Outside was dark, the occasional flash of lightning in the distance, a faint rumble of thunder rolling across the grounds. There were still some students drinking and laughing with each other, some sprawled out across the sofas and sitting on the floor. In the far corner, next to the window sat Arya, Dany and Jon, all of them looking as if they'd had less than a brilliant time. Sighing, she made her way over, avoiding the eyes of the rest of the students. She didn't know how much they had heard, but she feared that news had spread. The trio in the corner looked up as she approached. Sansa pulled back the free chair, sitting down as the three shared concerned glances. The other students looked at her, staring. They clearly knew what had occurred in the Great Hall. They scattered however, when Jon and Arya shot them dark looks, and the last stragglers from the party ran up the stairs to their dorms.

"How're you doing?" asked Dany, sitting up a little straighter – she had been slumped over the table, cradling a bottle of Butterbeer in her hands. Arya had been swirling a glass of liquid with her wand while Jon was sitting with his head on the table. Sansa simply shook her head and sat. Dany handed her a fresh Butterbeer without having to be asked and Sansa downed it gratefully, setting the glass bottle on the table with a soft clink. "At least we have the Hogsmeade weekend coming up soon, we can look forward to that," said Dany, her voice slightly slower than usual due to her fatigue.

"I'll see," replied Sansa eventually. She turned to Arya, who stopped her spell work and looked up at her. "You should be in bed," said Sansa with a smile, running her hand over Arya's cheek gently.

"Sansa!" she complained. "We just won the match!"

"You have a test tomorrow!" smiled Sansa, pulling softly on Arya's hair. Arya flinched away with a laugh.

"You're such a spoilsport," she grumbled.

"Bed!" laughed Sansa. Arya slapped her on the shoulder as she passed. Sansa turned back to Dany only to feel a pair of small arms wrap around her from behind, squeeze her tight for a moment, and then release her. Sansa turned to see Arya disappearing up the dorm stairs. Sansa felt tears prick in her eyes from the gesture of comfort from her little sister, only to be nearly overwhelmed when Jon stood and wrapped her in his warm embrace. He said nothing, but hugged her for nearly a minute, Sansa too on her feet now, clinging to the back of his jumper. She didn't cry. Jon soon drew back and pressed a kiss onto her forehead before heading upstairs.

"Goodnight, Sansa," he said softly as he brushed past. Sansa didn't trust herself to speak, simply sitting back down on her seat opposite Dany and looking at her. Dany returned the gaze and for a moment they were silent.

"You want another hug?" asked Dany after a moment and Sansa laughed, breaking the crushing silence. "Look, we're going to get through next week, then we're going to Hogsmeade and we'll have a blast. Okay?"

"I don't know," replied Sansa, running her finger over the rim of her empty bottle. The fire crackled merrily from behind the grate.

"Come on, it'll be more fun than sitting about here moping," urged Dany, leaning forward on her arms across the table. Sansa could see the silver-haired girl was exhausted, and was touched that she would wait up to make sure she was alright.

"Fine," she sighed, dragging out the vowel. Dany's face lit up with a smile, only to be covered over as she stifled a yawn.

"Right, we're going to have a good Sunday tomorrow. We'll go to the library or whatever you want, and we'll get that long face smiling again, alright?" she smiled as she got up.

"What was that about my face?" asked Sansa playfully as she remained seated.

"Nothing," replied Dany. "You coming up?" she asked.

"No, I'll sit down here for a bit. I'm not all that tired, I'm afraid," Sansa replied.

"Okay. Don't stay up too late though," said Dany, looking concerned but decided to let her do as she pleased.

"I won't, I promise," she replied to Dany's retreating back. When her friend's footsteps faded, Sansa moved onto the couch and sat with her legs curled up to her chest, staring into the flickering flames, letting her thoughts wander. She remained that way until the early morning light peeked in through the window, and only then did she decide to creep up into bed, so as not to worry Dany.

Sansa and Dany walked down to the Great Hall in the morning. Sansa was drawing stares from some students they passed. Word had gotten around, it seemed. The content of the rumours that drew attention to her she did not know. Had they been fabricated? Was she just being paranoid? Were they really all staring at her?

"Just ignore them," muttered Dany darkly as they walked past a pair of girls from Ravenclaw who were casting their gaze subtly at them and whispering. Sansa nodded and walked to the Hall. As soon as they entered, every head in the Hall turned for a moment towards them, even the teachers. A horrible silence fell like a pall over the entire Hall.

"Why don't you take a bloody picture?" snarled Dany, pushing Sansa gently over to the Gryffindor table. Chatter soon resumed as they took a seat, but glances were still directed at Sansa, and she caught a few of the mutterings. She tried to tune it out. Easier said than done, she realised. Halfway through her meal, the Hall went quiet again. Looking up, she saw Margaery standing in the doorway. The heads turned to her now, as she strolled inside, her face set like stone as she took a seat with her friends and began to eat, looking completely unperturbed. She avoided looking at the Gryffindor table all the way throughout breakfast. Sansa and Dany filed out with the other students after ten minutes, and decided to spend an afternoon in the weak sunlight, wrapped in layers of jumpers against the lingering cold and practising Patronuses again, at Dany's request. The need to remember happy thoughts did improve Sansa's mood slightly. Little did she know that Dany had chosen this activity for that exact purpose. Dany did a lot better this time, managing to summon a fully formed Patronus this time – only once, mind you, but it was still magnificent. A large dragon erupted from her wand and circled her, raising its silvery wings and breathing a plume of silvery light against the tree they were practising against.

"Oh my God!" Dany exclaimed as she fell back against another tree, managing to remain on her feet.

"It feels good, doesn't it?" said Sansa, remembering her pride and joy when she first summoned her Patronus.

"Yes! Exhausting though," replied Dany, breathing deeply.

"You're really getting the hang of it," remarked Sansa, folding her arms, her wand tucked behind her ear.

"Thanks," said Dany, standing up on slightly shaky legs.

"You're not going to faint on me, are you?" asked Sansa.

"No, no, I'm fine," replied Dany. "How're you feeling?"

"Me? Fine, it barely affects me now," said Sansa, waving a hand.

"No, I mean…" started Dany, but caught Sansa's look, a look that spoke of pain and sadness. Dany could tell she didn't want to talk about it right now. "Never mind. Show me again," she demanded. Sansa laughed, the vulnerable look disappearing and replaced by a wide smile.

"Okay then," she said, drawing her wand and raising it. She felt comforted by her Patronus. There was something familiar and welcoming about the graceful wolf. She could create a Patronus powerful enough to stay by her side almost indefinitely. It was nice to have a companion. The only problem was that she could never touch it. But it still comforted her, when her father was killed. It's presence alone, full of light, created from her happy memories, gave her hope. She knew it could help her through this too. Her silent companion, her light in the darkness.

Cersei Lannister appeared with a sharp crack in the entrance to the cave. She dusted off her clothes, glad that she had been smart enough to learn to Apparate herself. Her dark jeans were covered in dust from the passageway she had to crawl through to get to Hogsmeade in order to Apparate. She wasn't stupid enough to attempt it in the castle. From the dusty cellar, she Apparated to the cave and ducked inside. Drawing her wand, she lit it, her footsteps echoing off of the stone walls. There was a faint chinking of chains from up ahead. Smiling to herself, she finally straightened up, stepping over the body of the dead rat on the ground and emerged into a large cavern. Holding her wand up high, the beam fell on a figure lying on the ground. There was a squeak of a rat nearby. Cersei directed her wand at it, a burst of bright light illuminating the cave and the creature ceased to make any noise at all. The flash made the figure groan in pain.

"Oh sorry," said Cersei with mock concern. "Was it too bright?"

"You-!"

"Silence!" she ordered, another flash emanating from her wand. The figure yelped in pain. The chains clanked as the figure moved, but Cersei knew they would hold. She had enchanted them herself.

"I just came to give you this," she said with disdain, sliding her small bag from her shoulder and throwing it to the figure. There was a scrabbling sound, followed by chomping and chewing. Cersei stepped forwards and flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder as she knelt closer to the figure. "Can't have you starving to death, we'd lose our leverage." She paused, watching amusedly as the person stuffed the food in their mouth, barely pausing for breath. "Your sister could ruin the Lannister name. We can't have that. So here's what's going to happen. She and I will make the Unbreakable Vow. I will agree to return you to her, and she will agree not to divulge what she knows. To. Anyone. Understood, dear Loras?" she asked. Loras nodded; his mouth full of a hunk of bread. He hadn't eaten for days, he was ravenous. He still managed to glare at Cersei, hoping some new magic could kill her just by his thoughts. His wand now resided in her dorm, hidden.

"I must say, this whole scheme was a lot easier than I thought. Your attempted suicide was by far the easiest to fake. The fact is everyone believed it without question. Your poor sister-!"

"You bitch!" he yelled, lunging forwards, ignoring the pain in his body. He strained against his chains, inches from Cersei while she laughed and stood, dusting off her hands and turning on her heel, leaving the enraged Loras in the cave.

"Knox," she muttered as she emerged from the cave, blinking in the bright daylight, grinning. Things were going her way.


End file.
